WHAT IS
PUSH FOR YOUR TUSH?
Push For Your Tush 5K/10K Walk/Run is Colorectal Cancer Canada's largest annual community event, uniting individuals across Canada in the fight against colorectal cancer.
PFYT is a fun, family-friendly atmosphere where survivors are celebrated, the lost are honoured and supportive communities grow, all while raising much needed funds and awareness to save lives!
Participants have the opportunity to engage both their bodies and hearts in this impactful initiative.
Throughout the years, PFYT has forged thousands of new connections by rallying the community, raising awareness, and supporting patients and their loved ones across the country!
WHY PUSH FOR YOUR TUSH?
An estimated 25, 200 Canadians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year
Colorectal cancer is Preventable, Treatable & Beatable!
We can reduce our risk of colorectal cancer by maintaining a healthy lifestyle
AT THE HEART OF IT
Push For Your Tush was started in 1996 in Toronto as a small family run event by Colorectal Cancer Canada Co-Founder Bunnie Schwartz to support her husband and sister who were diagnosed and died from colorectal cancer.
What began as a passion-project, made possible by the sweat and tears of family and friends, has become a national event still rooted in Canadian values of community and care for each other.
Passionate volunteers continue to lead the charge at the grassroots level, helping to organize to grow the event.
Every year, hundreds gather to push their tushes to generate funds, awareness and community support for Colorectal Cancer Canada and local cancer care efforts.
Our PFYT Ambassadors
ABOUT COLORECTAL CANCER CANADA
Colorectal Cancer Canada is Canada’s not for profit organization dedicated to colorectal cancer patients and their families. Since 1998, we have been committed empowering and improving the lives of Canadians affected by the disease. We are a powerful voice for change across the continuum of care: educating, informing and increasing awareness of colorectal cancer—including the prevention, diagnosis and treatment. While colorectal cancer is our primary focus, through the connections we make, our mission assists the entire cancer community.
Mission
Colorectal Cancer Canada is the nation’s not for profit colorectal cancer patient organization dedicated to colorectal cancer awareness and education, supporting patients and their caregivers and advocating on their behalf.
Vision
We aspire to reduce the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer in Canada while improving the quality of life of patients, their families and their caregivers.
When Design Meets Dignity: How One Quiet Moment Sparked a New National Partnership
During a recent Kohler immersive designer experience where we bring together designers and key distribution partners to explore innovation, wellness, and the future of bathroom design, something unexpected happened. In a group of eight designers, a simple training session on bidet technology shifted into something far more personal.
As the conversation turned to how bidets support comfort, independence, and dignity, designer Stephanie Vermeulen became quietly emotional, and shared that she had recently lost her father to colorectal cancer. As she listened to the discussion, she realized how profoundly this technology could have eased his final months. Her sincere reaction was a gentle reminder that families often carry private burdens which thoughtful design could help soften, and that life‑enhancing tools often remain unknown simply because no one has connected the dots between health, design, and awareness.
Stephanie wondered whether her father’s legacy could help others. That single question stayed with Sandee Mann, Kohler Canada’s National Showroom Manager, who began exploring how this spark could be transformed into something meaningful. Conversations soon followed with Colorectal Cancer Canada’s leadership. Together, they explored how design, wellness, sustainability, and education could come together in a way that would genuinely support families. Once a clear direction emerged, the vision was brought to Kohler Canada’s leadership team, who unanimously supported moving forward with the partnership.
What began as a quiet moment of vulnerability has now grown into an exclusive five year national partnership between Kohler Canada and Colorectal Cancer Canada. As part of this commitment, Kohler will serve as 2026 Title Sponsor for the Push for Your Tush race series across the country, engaging our network of customers, distributors, showroom partners, and employees. Kohler has committed to participate in every race location and help anchor two new locations tied directly to Kohler Canada’s head offices: a new event in Vernon and Armstrong in British Columbia (home to our Hytec manufacturing facility), as well as Toronto, Ontario, where our Canadian head office is located (near Vaughan). To ensure the partnership launched with purpose and momentum, Kohler’s Global Stewardship Group also approved a first year grant, laying the foundation for long term impact.
This work could not be more urgent. Colorectal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in Canada when detected late. It is expected to be the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in 2025 and the second leading cause of cancer death for both men and women combined. An estimated 26,400 Canadians will be diagnosed this year, which means that on average, 72 people in Canada hear the words “you have colorectal cancer” every single day. Despite being one of the most preventable cancers through screening, it remains devastatingly lethal when caught too late.
The urgency of this work has been underscored by recent unexpected high profile losses, including the deaths of actor James Van Der Beek, known widely through his role in the series Dawson’s Creek, and Canadian actress Catherine O’Hara, celebrated most recently for her Emmy winning performance in Schitt’s Creek. Both were lost to colorectal cancer, reminding us that this disease reaches into homes across every community, often quietly and unexpectedly.
At its heart, this partnership remains rooted in Stephanie’s moment of honesty and the legacy of her father. It is a reminder that design is not only about beauty. It is about compassion, care, and the everyday dignity every person deserves.
It is a reminder that design is not only about beauty. It is about compassion, care, and the everyday dignity every person deserves.
Partner organizations
