Brooke and Koda’s Iced Tea Stand helping Lac du Bonnet girl with cancer

For the past eight years, cousins Brooke Peters and Koda Reimer’s iced tea stand has been raising money for children battling cancer. This year they are helping a four-year-old Lac du Bonnet girl named Callie Augustine.

“She’s a goofy person at home and in public she has to get to know people before she opens up,” said Callie’s father Colin.

“She’s just a very positive person. If you or I would have this we’d be depressed and worried all the time. Whenever she’s not sick or run down she’s very normal – just a kid.”

Callie was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is a type of cancer that affects white blood cells called B-lymphocytes. Her cancer involves the overproduction of immature white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood, hindering the body’s ability to fight infections. It is the most common type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Callie’s was found in the fluid around her brain and spinal cord.

“She was a normal three-year-old and she complained about her legs being sore and random fevers here and there and we just thought it was just getting sick or whatever. And one day she was just really lethargic and the next day we brought her in and got the diagnosis,” said Colin.

Since she was diagnosed at age three in October 2024, Callie has received more than 20 blood transfusions, four of them within the first week and numerous platelet transfusions. She developed pancreatitis in December 2024 from a chemo drug.

“You have to stay positive…The prognosis is fairly good but it’s hard to explain,” said Colin.

Brooke and Koda (who now goes by the name Alexis) heard about Callie on the Candle Lighters website, which supports families whose children are going through treatment, and decided to raise money with their popular iced tea stand.

“When I was seven and (Alexis was) nine you don’t expect that much. We were already shocked because we did it the first time and we raised $1,200. It was mind boggling and we’re at year eight and we’ve raised over $75,000 for cancer care,” said Brooke.

Brooke’s mom, Melissa Peters, said it takes more than 20 adults helping with baking and planning to make the iced tea stand successful every year.

One of the people pitching in to help is 10-year-old Marek Hiebert. Merek was a recipient of Brooke and Koda’s Iced Tea stand four years ago after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Brooke and Alexis raised $13,000 for Merek.

“They reached out to see if I wanted to help out and I said yes… I’m very happy to be a part of this. It just feels amazing to help out here,” he said.

Colin has yet to meet Brooke and Alexis as his daughter is still in treatment, but he did say it was amazing to see people pulling for Callie.

“Our community in Lac du Bonnet has been really good. (Brooke and Alexis) are from Steinbach they don’t even know us they reached out and that’s pretty cool.”

Brooke and Koda’s Iced Tea Stand will sell drinks, brownies, pumpkin bars, ice cream, chips, and pizza. The stand will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 23 and 24 at 418 Walnut Street in Steinbach.