If you’re from the Maritimes, you have probably heard of Molly Moore—or more likely, of the Molly Appeal. It’s a local tradition of giving what you can that started when the single mother donated a single dollar bill (not five dollars as was once believed, recently confirmed by Molly’s family) toward medical research at Dalhousie University.

In honour of Molly’s inspiring donation, Dalhousie created the Molly Appeal, the University’s annual campaign to raise vital funds in support of local medical research. Over the course of 40 years, more than $9 million has been raised to support some of the most critical, ground-breaking medical research in the region, including youth mental health, biomaterials development, COVID-19, cancer, and more.

Molly’s generosity runs in the family. “She had a heart of gold,” Molly’s daughter-in-law, Verna Moore says when we got the chance to talk about Molly’s legacy. “She was not a well-to-do woman, but she was a hard worker and she always helped others.” Not only did Molly start a trend in her community, but her own family continues to take the tradition very seriously. “I’ll be 90 years old this coming November, and I’ll give to the Molly Appeal to help out what she did as long as I’m living,” Verna Moore says.

The 2023 Molly Appeal campaign recently launched and this year it’s raising funds for a pivotal piece of equipment called the Aperio GT 450 Digital Pathology Slide Scanner for Dalhousie’s HistoCORE Facility. The scanner is an innovative, world-class piece of technology that will be used by Dal researchers to help find less invasive, and more customized diagnostic tools, treatments, and cures for all types of cancer.

Dalhousie cancer researcher Dr. Graham Dellaire, who works in the HistoCORE Facility says, “The Aperio GT 450 Digital Pathology Slide Scanner is an essential piece of equipment. It will facilitate a broad spectrum of disease research and bring cutting-edge pathology technology to Atlantic Canada." Finding new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer and other diseases, one dollar at a time—that is the legacy of Molly Moore.

To learn more about the Molly Appeal or how to give, visit MollyAppeal.ca.