The incomparable Betty White died on December 31,2021, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. The #BettyWhiteChallenge went viral this Monday, January 17 to honor and celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday.

As a result of the social media challenge, animal shelters around the country had a surge in fundraising. According to the Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Zoo raised almost $100,000 on Monday.

The WSJ reported, “Smaller nonprofit rescue and shelter groups all around the U.S. took to social media to share their delight at the unexpected windfalls, which ranged from several thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.”

I imagine Betty White would have been delighted to know how inspiring we found her. Talk about leaving a legacy!

This is one example of the power of social media. While this is definitely an outlier, it is reflective of social media’s influence on our daily lives.