Cody Walker and Wife Felicia; Paul Walker.Photo:Courtesy of Cody Walker, Snappers/ZUMAPRESS.com
Courtesy of Cody Walker, Snappers/ZUMAPRESS.com
It’s all about family for Cody Walker and his wife Felicia.
“This November will mark 10 years sincewe lost my brother, Paul, and I just felt now was the appropriate time,” says Cody,who lives in Arizonawithhis family.
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Paul Walker at the Fast Five Premiere.
“My brother, Caleb, and I are both donehaving children. My brother, Paul, was Paul William Walker IV and that name goes back four generations," says Cody.
Cody, multi-hyphenate entertainer Tyrese Gibson and Chris Lee are further carrying on Paul’s memory withFuelFest, which pulls into Irwindale Speedway in California on Saturday, June 3. Japan, Germany, New Jersey, Las Vegas, United Arab Emirates and Scottsdale follow throughout the year.
The automotive and motorsports festival celebrates car culture with drift racing, off roading and ride-alongs with professional drivers and VIP experiences.
“You never know who you might see at one of our shows,” he says coyly. “We have had severalsurprise special guestsfrom the ‘Fast and Furious’ world attend our shows.”
A portion of the proceeds from each FuelFest show goes directly toReach Out WorldWide, a nonprofit Paul founded in January 2010 after a massive earthquake devastated Haiti. On the trip, Paul saw a gap between the availability of skilled resources and the requirement for such personnel in post-disaster situations.
Cody sees Reach Out WorldWide “as a part of Paul that he left behind.”
“It’s important to so many to see that part of his legacy live on,” he says. “Since Paul’s passing, ROWW has continued to assist communities in natural disaster zones in 13 countries, with over 79 deployments and over 63,000 volunteer hours logged. That’s over $10 million in contributions to those in need through the generosity of incredible donors and brands like Lowe’s and FuelFest, who help keep its mission going.”
“There were many times where I just didn’t think I was going to be able to continue to grow the event and that it might get shut down before really ever getting off the ground,” he says. “I owe all the success to the perseverance of my team, my wife and, most importantly, the fans. I really feel like I’ve caught lightning in a bottle and created something that the car community was missing.”
source: people.com
