Years ago, Brooke Peters and Koda Reimer decided to have an iced tea stand. Why an iced tea stand?
“Boredom. Mostly boredom," Reimer recalls. "Our siblings had gone to camp, but we were too little to go, so we were sitting in her house on her couch, and we were just dead bored. We decided to do an iced stand and we decided to raise it for Cancer Care because we had a bunch of family going through cancer at the time.”
What started because of boredom has inspired community members around the southeast.
From Wednesday, July 26, to Thursday, July 27, 13-year-old Brooke and 15-year-old Koda are back and will have their sixth year of Brooke and Koda’s Iced Tea Stand.
This year, they will raise money for three-year-old Ruby Roy, who has Down syndrome and was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia earlier this year.
“We're going to help them this year, and she's the cutest kid. We haven't met her, but we've seen a ton of pictures of her, and she's just adorable,” Peters says.
In preparation, they have baked home goods, including 150 pans of brownies and 30 pans of pumpkin bars. They will also have cupcakes, cookies, lemonade and other treats. Brooke and Koda tees, lanyards and other merchandise are also available for purchase.
Last year, they raised $13,500 for nine-year-old Cain Burgess who was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma. He was inspired by Brooke and Koda’s generous acts.
“Cain became an ambassador for childhood cancer. He's helping out people as well. And, apparently, our iced tea stand helped them figure out how they wanted to help and what they're doing now,” Peters says.
For Marek Hiebert, the young boy battling cancer, who they raised $13,000 for two years ago, will be helping out with this year’s iced tea stand.
Hosting their iced tea stand takes days of preparation and planning. They also have meetings with potential sponsors to help them with their missions. It has become a major part of their summers, and they have found joy in giving.
“I don’t know how fun my summer would be without this. It is just so much fun,” Peters says.
Brooke and Koda’s Iced Tea Stand will be held at 418 Walnut St. in Steinbach from Wednesday, July 26, to Thursday, July 27.
With files from Corny Rempel.