Living in a Box: YouTuber Elton Castee's First 24 Hours Raises $60,000 for spcaLA

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Aug 28, 2017, 18:30 ET

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- YouTube star, Elton Castee is living in a dog kennel to raise money for Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA). Castee entered the kennel at 12noon on Sunday, August 27^th and vows to remain there until he raises $100,000 for the organization. The live stream can be viewed 24/7 on his YouTube channel (YouTube.com/ecastee) and viewers can donate at spcaLA.com.

Miriam Davenport (spcaLA) and Elton Castee

In less than 24 hours, Castee has raised more than $60,000 for spcaLA. spcaLA is not affiliated with any other SPCA; all SPCAs are independent organizations who fundraise separately. All the money raised by Castee will stay in the Southern California community and assist spcaLA's shelter services in Long Beach; animal cruelty investigations across Los Angeles County; and violence intervention and education programs for Los Angeles' middle and high school students in cities including Compton, Hawthorne, Long Beach, and Hollywood.

spcaLA Senior Director of Fund Development, Miriam Davenport says, "Elton's act of compassion is really a testament to the human-animal bond. His own spcaLA shelter dog, Sparta, affected his life in such a positive way he chose to honor his memory by providing veterinary care, nourishing food, safe shelter, and TLC to other shelter pets."

Castee is sleeping, eating, and broadcasting live from a dog kennel at the spcaLA PD Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center in Long Beach. "His presence has brought many new visitors to the Village and he is introducing thousands of people to our organization," said spcaLA President, Madeline Bernstein. "He's a bit of a ground-breaker, and I won't be surprised if others attempt similar fundraising challenges."

Castee approached spcaLA about the fundraiser in May 2017, almost a year after his dog Sparta, whom he adopted from spcaLA, passed away. spcaLA planned the event to ensure the safety of the animals and the responsibilities of the facility would not be disrupted.

Castee's YouTube videos have been viewed over 100 million times with a total of 1.3 million subscribers over two channels.

Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California since 1877. There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support to spcaLA. Donations run programs and services including Animal Cruelty Investigations, Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education, Violence Prevention and Intervention, and a variety of shelter services.

SOURCE spcaLA