October 4, 2025, marked an inspiring day for ostomates and supporters across Canada as we celebrated World Ostomy Day through our annual Step Up For Ostomy campaign. This nationwide initiative once again brought people together to promote ostomy awareness, strengthen community connections, and raise essential funds to support those living with an ostomy.
A Nationwide Celebration
From coast to coast, cities and communities came alive with energy and enthusiasm. Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Ottawa, Halifax, Saint John, Chatham, and Moncton hosted meaningful awareness events, while several new affiliated groups joined the movement for the first time in Kelowna, Saskatoon, Toronto, Oshawa, North Bay, Sudbury, and Charlottetown. We’re thrilled to welcome these new groups to our growing network of awareness champions!
Events across the country included walks, picnics, awareness booths, and auctions—all made possible by the dedication of local volunteers and national organizers. We are deeply grateful to the Step Up For Ostomy national planning committee volunteers, particularly Tiffany Shorson, Hannah Martin-Spencer, and Mya Cherry, who played a pivotal role in promoting the campaign on social media like never before.
New this year were national t-shirts (sponsored by Hollister) and vinyl banners. Local groups that ordered these earlier in the summer were able to join a united front for World Ostomy Day!
Amplifying Awareness Online
Our social media presence reached new heights this year, with outstanding participation from our Ostomy Ambassadors and supporters. Many voices helped spread awareness on Instagram, including Jenn Moore, Hannah Martin-Spencer, Carly Allen, Stalen Venator, Nadia Maffucci Di Rienzo, and Raimo Strangis. Carly from Vancouver was the top fundraiser among the Ambassadors.
A special congratulations goes to Ambassador Alex MacInnis, who appeared on the news twice this year, and to Sarah Levitt, a rising social media influencer and fashion model, who partnered with us for our first-ever influencer promotion. Their efforts—and those of all our ambassadors—played a key role in helping us reach more Canadians than ever before.
Fundraising Highlights
Thanks to the incredible efforts of our sponsors, teams, and individual fundraisers, we’ve raised an impressive $88,720 for 2025 —just over 88% of our ambitious $100,000 goal! We’re deeply grateful to everyone who participated, donated, and supported this cause. Several chapters and groups also contributed through donations and sponsorships rather than traditional fundraising, including Yarmouth, Stratford and Halton Peel.
A special shout-out goes to Ostomy Ambassador Alex MacInnis, who raised an astounding $18,650 through his Ultras for Ostomies campaign in August.
This year’s sponsors collectively contributed $23,000 toward our fundraising total, helping us get closer to our $100,000 goal. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our National Sponsors—Hollister, Coloplast, Convatec, Best Buy Medical, Wellwise, and NSWOCC—for their outstanding generosity and continued partnership. We’re also grateful to our Industry Partners—MyOstomy.ca, Starkmans, and Ostomysale.ca—for stepping up to support this year’s campaign and helping raise awareness across Canada.
Our Top Fundraisers!
Our fundraising success reflects the passion and dedication of individuals and teams across the country. Together, these teams demonstrated what’s possible when communities unite for awareness, advocacy, and change. Their passion and hard work helped drive the success of Step Up For Ostomy 2025, inspiring others from coast to coast to get involved and make a difference. The top 10 fundraisers, as of November 28, include:
Top 10 Fundraisers
- Bill Power (Halifax) – $4,520
- George Pick (Vancouver) – $3,170
- Carly Allen (@ostomate_and_the_city, Vancouver) – $2,985
- Stephen Likely (Halifax) – $1,213
- Senator Wanda Bernard (Halifax) – $1,150
- Gail Colpitts (Moncton) – $1,000
- Lisa Gausman (Calgary) – $1,000
- Kelly Jobson (Halifax) – $920
- Jean Bryans (Okanagan) – $885
Top 10 Teams
- Ostomy Halifax – $10,263
- Ostomy Moncton – $3,445
- Vancouver – $3,170
- Calgary – $3,040
- Saskatchewan – $2,590
- Ostomy Saint John – $2,200
- Ostomy Chatham – $1,630
- Ostomy Toronto – $1,525
- Ottawa Ostomy – $1,290
- Ostomy Oshawa – $1,185
To see the full list of participating teams and donations, visit our Just Giving page. A detailed recap and personal stories from across Canada will also appear in the Winter 2025 issue of Ostomy Canada Magazine.
Share Your Step Up For Ostomy Story
We’re gathering personal stories and photos from participants to feature in our 2026 Step Up For Ostomy campaign! If you took part in this year’s event, we’d love to hear from you.
Share your testimony about what the event meant to you—whether it was your first time participating, a special community moment, or how it helped you raise awareness. You can include a photo of yourself wearing your Step Up For Ostomy t-shirt or a proud photo showing your ostomy.
Submit your story and photo using the form below. Your experience could inspire others and help us make next year’s campaign even more powerful!
Celebrating Community and Awareness
Step Up For Ostomy is more than a fundraiser—it’s a celebration of resilience, visibility, and community. Each event and donation helps break down stigma, build understanding, and remind Canadians that life with an ostomy can be active, fulfilling, and empowered.
We’re proud of the strides made in 2025 and look forward to continuing this momentum into next year. Thank you to every participant, donor, volunteer, and ambassador who made this year’s campaign such a success. Together, we’re raising awareness, building connections, and making a lasting difference.
Stay tuned for upcoming events and initiatives in 2026. Whether you’re a long-time supporter or joining us for the first time, your involvement truly matters. Let’s keep stepping up for ostomy awareness—together!
Step Up For Ostomy
2025 Photo Gallery
