Tween entrepreneurs raise funds for child with cancer

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This article was published 04/08/2021 (1372 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s 10:45 a.m. and there’s already a slow stream of customers walking up a driveway on Walnut Street in Steinbach seeking baked goods and lemonade to support a family affected by cancer.

The operation is Brooke and Koda’s Iced Tea Stand, run by Brooke Peters, 11, and Dakota Reimer, 13, two cousins who, four years ago, took it upon themselves to raise money in support of cancer research. Since then, the fundraiser has grown exponentially in both cash collected and people supporting them.

“We didn’t expect a tiny little lemonade stand to get this much attention,” joked Reimer outside the stand after a late night of baking brownies in preparation for the next day’s sale.

In 2018, bored by their siblings leaving for summer camp and concerned for an aunt going through cancer treatment, the girls set up a humble iced tea and lemonade stand to raise money for cancer awareness. It proved to be a hit with over $1,200 raised in just two days. The next year brought in a similar amount of money for the same cause.

The third year, however, brought in sponsors from businesses as the pair chose a family to support with a child diagnosed with cancer. The sale which now featured an extended variety of homemade and store-bought baked goods, brought in over $7,000.

This year, with over 14 businesses supporting them with both cash and ingredients to bake over 100 pans of brownies, as well as a cash register and digital till to track their sales, Peters and Reimer raised a whopping $13,000 in support of Marek Hiebert, a six-year-old diagnosed with leukemia in June 2020 who they came to know through their church pastor. 

“It’s hard because you know someone’s going through something and you can’t do anything about it, but we’re trying our best to help,” Peters said.

Marek’s father Fredy said he was not expecting to receive such a sizeable donation to his family, let alone be the family Peters and Reimer chose to support for this year’s fundraiser.

“We are still in shock,” he said. “It’s a feeling that you can’t really describe.”

Not only has Marek been affected by cancer, but he also contracted COVID-19 just five months after receiving his cancer diagnosis. However, Fredy said the community banded together to support their family with a GoFundMe page, as well as simple things such as ensuring their lawn was mowed or there were groceries in their fridge.

“Sometimes when you are in a battle like this you feel like you are alone, because you are by yourself,” he said.

“I’m just very grateful for our community that we have, that we have such a caring, supporting community.”

Before presenting the sizeable cheque to the Hiebert family and Marek, the girls got recognition from Provencher MP Ted Falk, who stopped by the stand last month to show his support for the second year in a row. The tween entrepreneurs said they didn’t expect their small operation to reach so many people in the community in such a short period of time.

“Whenever you do it, it makes you feel like you have a purpose,” said Peters.

As for what the cash will be used for, Fredy said it will help with a strained financial situation as he took a voluntary leave from his MCC job. If there’s excess after that, it’s Marek’s wish to swim with dolphins on a beach somewhere.

“We are very much hoping that we can make that wish come true one day. He has gone through so much.”

For the young saleswomen, they plan to make future fundraisers bigger and better.

“We’ll still be 30 and telling people to come get their lemonade by the cup,” Reimer said with a laugh before returning to the tent to serve more customers eager to support a worthy cause.