NEW ORLEANS — Betty White’s love for animals was well known, but her generosity toward the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina was not.

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To honor the beloved actress, who died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 99, New Orleans will host a second line parade in the French Quarter on Jan. 17, which would have been her 100th birthday, WWL-TV reported.

The event is being held by Santa T. Claus and Carl Mack Presents and will also serve as a fundraiser for animal rescues.

According to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, located at the Mississippi River in New Orleans, White paid for a private plane to relocate the aquarium’s otters and penguins to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California after the powerful hurricane smashed into the Big Easy on Aug. 29, 2005.

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“Audubon did not find out until after the trip that Betty White had paid for a portion of the trip,” Audubon Aquarium spokesperson Annie Matherne told WWL on Sunday. “Betty was a huge animal advocate and conservationist. She did not want any fanfare surrounding her part in the relocation; she just wanted to help how she could. We are deeply saddened by the loss of a true friend.”

Tom Dyer, who cared for the birds at the aquarium at the time, shared the story on Twitter after White’s death.

A GoFundMe page, called Birthday Bucks for Betty, has been set up to defray the cost of the parade, WWL reported.

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Participants are invited to bring their pets, as well as a dog toy to donate, because of White’s reputation as an animal lover, according to the television station.

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Betty White through the years A headshot portrait of American actor Betty White wearing a veiled hat, circa 1955. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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