LOS ANGELES — The 100th anniversary of Doris Day's birthday is being recognized with a social-media fundraiser honoring her passion for animals.
The Doris Day Animal Foundation, a charity that supports animal welfare programs nationwide, is asking “animal lovers" everywhere to donate and celebrate her legacy.
The foundation announced a goal of $100,000 in donations, which it said it would match with funds to benefit animals affected by the war in Ukraine.
Day, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 3, 1922, created the nonprofit group, originally known as the Doris Day Pet Foundation, in 1978. She died in May 2019 at age 97.
A singer and actor best known for 1950s romantic comedies including “Pillow Talk” and “Lover Come Back,” Day also starred in dramas, including Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”
In a statement, the foundation asked people to post photos and videos with the hashtag #DorisDay100 that show how the "legacy of Doris and her enduring passion for animal welfare” is being carried on.
A video compilation of celebrity tributes to Day's animal advocacy includes a newly recorded message from Kaley Cuoco, who's set to star as Day in a limited series. Those featured in the video include Betty White, another prominent animal welfare booster, who died last December.
Day spent much of her time in recent years advocating for animal rights. Although mostly retired from show business since the 1980s, she still had enough of a following that a 2011 collection of previously unreleased songs, "My Heart," hit the top 10 in the United Kingdom. The same year, she received a lifetime achievement honor from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Friends and supporters lobbied for years to get her an honorary Oscar.
Day was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, as George W. Bush declared it "a good day for America when Doris Marianne von Kappelhoff of Evanston, Ohio decided to become an entertainer."
