Pets R Us hosts second Betty White Birthday Party fundraiser
Jan. 17—Tessa Foster held up her top-five drawing inside the Pets R Us lobby Tuesday evening. Her rainbow-colored dog, which started off blue on the left side and transitioned between green, yellow, orange, light pink and fuchsia from left to right, won fifth place in the humane society's Design your Own Dog Coloring Contest. Foster visited the shelter during its second annual Betty White Birthday Party to receive recognition.
"We got a text saying she won the coloring contest," said Dan Foster, Tessa's father. "We also heard about (the Betty White Birthday Party) on the radio. It's a really nice thing to do to get people in here to hopefully find homes for the animals. I know that was the big goal of it. It definitely is working."
Pets R Us employees and volunteers said the event was well attended. In addition to shelter staff, members of the organization's Junior Board and Logansport Junior High School Student Council members helped out at the party.
"This is where the animal advocates are going to come from tomorrow," Pets R Us Executive Director Lisa Terry said. "(We're) nurturing and teaching them now. It's a win-win for everybody."
The junior high students who volunteered at the party scooped the more playful cats out of their cages and played with them in the shelter's dedicated cat room. They said the black cats were all really sweet and the orange cats were generally the largest.
"I didn't realize how many cats were going to be here because I'd never been here before," LJHS student council member Payton Norton said. "Just coming in here and seeing all of the cats really shows that people should come and adopt from shelters."
The students created an informative video so the community can learn more about Pets R Us. They also encouraged other attendees, including their own parents, to adopt from the shelter.
"I think it's really positive here and everyone is having a great time," LJHS student council member Sam Baker said.
Bowls of punch, trays of cookies and cages of cats greeted people as they entered the humane society. A board on the wall displayed pictures of Betty White with different animals, and a biography situated on a table between the cookies and "happy birthday" headbands described White's dedication to animals as well as her illustrious career.
"She really made animal advocacy something that more people were tuned into because everyone liked her and she was so engaging," Terry said. "She would go out and do pet shows in the California area, and she did everything. I've seen pictures of her with a bear, a tiger cub and dogs and cats. She was with elephants. She just rooted for everybody."
White, who died less than a month from her 100th birthday at the end of 2021, is remembered for her dedication to animal shelters and charities. Humane societies across the country have hosted fundraisers and events to honor her legacy and raise money to help animals in her name.
Terry said Pets R Us received $701 in donations during the party. One donor donated $101 because this year would have been Betty White's 101st birthday.
In addition to raising money for the humane society, the party also raised awareness about Pets R Us and its impact on the community.
"Hopefully these kinds of events help the humane society grow and help the animals that are here, because they don't have homes," Junior Board member Luna Tafolla said. "There are a lot of (animals) that need attention. This is a good event to get the humane society's name out."
