Chuck Norris passed away earlier this year, bringing to a close a legendary life of someone who was truly larger than life. He’s best known for all the ridiculous (but sometimes true) jokes and facts that spoke to his stature as an icon in pop culture, as well as his impressive karate work before he really made a name for himself in Hollywood action movies.
Perhaps what gets lost in the shuffle of a truly monumental figure is his dedication to charity. Norris helped start the Kickstart Kids foundation, which aims to give middle and high school kids a chance to participate in martial arts as Norris did. The legendary martial artist and Hollywood star was also a mentor to Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves.
In the spirit of that and ahead of National Chicken Finger Day later this month, Graves and Norris’ remaining immediate family (his wife, Gena O’Kelley, and their twins, Dakota and Danilee Norris) came together to honor Norris’ legacy, with Raising Cane’s committing to donating $1 for every Box Combo sold on July 27 (National Chicken Finger Day), up to $1,000,000. New Leaf News was on hand for the event, which also featured impressive displays from groups of Kickstart Kids that would’ve made Norris proud.
Chuck Norris’ Family Talks with Todd Graves on Charity, Karate, and So Much More
Like so many of us, Todd Graves grew up watching Chuck Norris on television and in movies, and it sparked a lifelong reverence and love for the movie star. Norris commanded the screen and infected pop culture in a way so few have ever done, even in today’s social media age. No one has quite reached the level of cultural impact.
Graves said, “Watching, originally, I think it was ‘The Way of the Dragon’, and seeing Chuck Norris fight Bruce Lee in this amazing battle… Me and the kids in the neighborhood, we’d always be over at somebody’s house watching this… My dad and other people were like, ‘He’s a karate champion. He’s a six-time champion of the world. So we were all real big Chuck fans.”
But unlike many of us, Graves would go on to forge a real relationship with Norris. The Raising Cane’s CEO eventually saw Norris’ Code of Ethics, which he felt would be a fantastic way to teach young leaders in his burgeoning chicken franchise. He was right.
“It was a fun way to talk about leadership and doing the right thing. We could talk about that, and the customers would get into it,” Graves said. Eventually, as Cane’s grew, Graves caught wind of Kickstart Kids, the youth foundation started by Norris. The partnership made all the sense in the world, and Norris quickly became a real mentor to Graves and an impactful part of the growth of Raising Cane’s.
Norris eventually gifted Graves a custom gi, something he didn’t even do for George W. Bush, who was instrumental with Norris in getting Kickstart Kids going. “I was just blown away, it’s epic because I had it framed, and in our office, where everybody comes in Dallas, everybody can come into the Chuck Norris room, and they see that he is there, I was just blown away. Honorary Black Belt,” Graves revealed.
Chuck Norris Jokes
Those aforementioned Chuck Norris jokes certainly made their way back to the Norris family. “He believed them,” Gena O’Kelley joked. Regardless, they were a shockingly big part of the culture in the 2000s and 2010s, and they’ve somehow persisted into the 2020s now, perhaps revitalized by his tragic passing.
That, however, speaks to the connection Norris had with young people. His foundation is a reflection of that, as it is centered on giving back to the youth. This entire event was centered on that, too. O’Kelley said, “There really isn’t anything else. I mean, we are meant to give back.”
She continued, “Why else are we here on this earth? I mean, we’re all fingers and toes. We’re all part of this journey called life, and it doesn’t mean anything if we’re not there to help one another and to give back. Otherwise, it’s pretty much futile.” She also said she hopes everyone can see that she and her children have lived their lives that way.
She knows well that is what her husband would want. “I’m still kind of finding my way through this all. I’m so thankful for this big, wonderful family. Even all the instructors in the Kickstart Kids program, they feel like kids to me. They’re as much of our family as our blood family. It really is, at the end of the day, about what it is that we do to give back.”
Todd Graves echoed the sentiment, “And for us to be a little tiny part of what Chuck and the family’s legacy is going forward, for me, it’s just, that’s a dream. That’s a privilege. That’s a pleasure to do. And when you get your family involved with it, you got my dog involved with it, and all of that. It’s just, it makes life fulfilling.”
Graves continued, “My favorite is Chuck Norris counted to infinity, twice. Those things, they’re legendary. Chuck became larger than life. The persona became larger than life, and it came because he stood for values, and he always had it.”
The family all had a laugh reminiscing on some of the most clever Norris jokes, including one that made it into Expendables 2. “[Sylvester Stallone] goes, ‘I heard those Chuck Norris facts are everywhere, we should put them in the movie,’” O’Kelley said. “I go, ‘Well, I think I have one, Sly,’ and he goes, ‘Well, what is it?’ And so, Chuck Norris, I guess, got bitten by a king cobra, and after five days of agonizing pain, the cobra died.”
Dakota and Danilee shared a story that certainly fit with the Norris persona. Danilee told about a tornado that touched down on the family ranch, “‘You’re like, Dad, get under the stairs’, … He sees us under the stairs with our dogs and stuff, and he goes outside, he’s just watching the rain go sideways. Then he looks at us, he sees we’re under the stairs, and he’s like, ‘Ah, I’m gonna go back to bed.’”
Those things will be the lasting legacy of Chuck Norris. But if his family has anything to do with it, his charitable work with the youth through Kickstart Kids will also stand the test of time. And thanks to Todd Graves and Raising Cane’s, it certainly looks like that part of his life will continue on.
