Dr. Heather Cowie wants to use her skills as an optometrist and as a community leader to help those in need.
Her passion for eye care started during a volunteer trip to Guatemala, where she put a pair of glasses on a man who said he was blind.
“…and he could see. He just needed a pair of glasses. I changed his life at that moment,” says Cowie.
“I thought, ‘Look what I can do. If I can keep doing this over and over for people, this is what a happy, successful life will look like.’”
Since then, Cowie has travelled to Nicaragua, Mexico, Jamaica and El Salvador providing eye care for those in need.
She’s also the owner of Airdrie Family Eye Doctors.
Nominator Amy Murray says Cowie is selfless, and determined to make the world a better place
“Heather wakes up, ready to change the world and spread kindness,” says Murray.
“(She) is a philanthropist, a people-person, but most importantly she genuinely cares about every person she comes across.”
Cowie is currently developing an international charity to provide eye care to those in impoverished countries and is dedicated to creating support systems that empower women and educate girls.