Raising Kanee is honoring Chuck Norris’ legacy in a meaningful way.
During a special event on Tuesday, July 14 in Cypress, Texas, the fast-growing chicken chain announced that it would donate $1 from each box combo sold National Chicken Finger DayJuly 27, up to $1 millionfor profit Kickstart KidsYouth development organization Norris co-founded to teach character, discipline and leadership through martial arts.
However, for Raising Cane’s founder and CEO Todd Graves, the partnership is much more personal than a fundraising campaign.
“I wanted to honor Chuck,” Graves told reporters during the press conference. “I never got a chance to say goodbye. I was supposed to meet her about a month ago. I wanted to say thank you.”
Graves explained that his admiration for Norris began long before the two became friends. As a child, he watched path of the dragon Time and again, I have been fascinated by Norris’s legendary fight with Bruce Lee. Years later, after opening his first Raising Cane’s restaurant at age 24, Graves found himself looking for ways to grow as a leader.
“I didn’t think of myself as a leader,” he recalled. “I was just a cook.”
Instead of putting up movie posters in his restaurant, Graves displayed Chuck Norris’s “10 Codes of Conduct”, using the principles to teach leadership and character to his growing team.
Their relationship eventually evolved from admiration to friendship after Raising Kane reached out to support Kickstart Kids, the nonprofit Norris founded with President George H.W. Bush in 1990 to help students build confidence, discipline and respect through martial arts.
Today, the program serves approximately 8,000 students in 58 schools across Texas, with more than 120,000 students participating since its inception. A trip to the Kickstart Kids event solidified Graves’ commitment.
“I saw firsthand the change that was happening in these kids,” he said. “I was bought forever.”
Graves said Norris became a mentor, often offering advice about leadership and organizational culture. One memory in particular, is still fresh.
When Graves invited Norris to speak at Raising Ken’s annual leadership retreat, he expected the martial arts legend to have a brief, informal conversation. Instead, Norris arrived with 14 handwritten pages of notes prepared for company managers.
“Our leaders are freaking out,” Graves said. “I was so impressed by the extra mile he wanted to go. He cared.”
Another moment left an equally lasting impression. Graves recalled that Norris surprised him by presenting him with one of his personal karate gis, telling him that he had only previously given a karate gi to one other person – President Bush.
“I’ve got it framed in my office,” Graves said. “Anyone who comes in can see it.”
Norris’s wife, Gena, and the couple’s twin children, Dakota and Danielle, joined Graves for Tuesday’s event, which highlights the lasting impact Kickstart Kids has had on youth across Texas.
Gena Norris said, “We have always believed that you don’t have to go around the world to find your mission.” “It’s right in your backyard.”
He described supporting children through Kickstart Kids as one of his family’s greatest responsibilities, and said that the organization’s work became Chuck Norris’s extended family.
For Graves, this campaign is as much about inspiring others to give back as it is about honoring one of his closest friends.
“We’re a small part of Chuck’s legacy,” he said. “I hope other business leaders see this and get involved in something that is meaningful to them. Living a life of service, you get so much back because you know you’re doing the right thing.”
In addition to the National Chicken Finger Day fundraiser, Raising Cane’s is also offering limited-edition Chuck Norris merchandise, with net proceeds benefiting Kickstart Kids.
As Graves reflected on the campaign, he returned to the reason behind it.
“That’s his legacy,” she said. “His family and Kickstart Kids – that’s what he lived for.”
