Lectures & Videos

I spoke at Allentown Pennsylvania last year, at an event for an association for blind and visually impaired people. Here I am, the blind speaker, author, painter, athlete; I had no fewer than fifteen kids approached me, all excited to tell me their stories. They were telling me “You know, I quit painting when I went blind. I quit running when I lost me sight. I quit, I quit, I quit… when I lost my sight.” I told them “Wait a minute. You all are quitting! Quitting is not easier! How do you quit? When you quit, what do you do then? Quitting leads to self-pity, laying around, not using your time. You get out of shape and you don’t accomplish anything.

I have spoken all over the United States of America. I’ve had some very interesting experiences. You know, you go somewhere to speak for 45 minutes or so, but then you get to hang out with the staff and all of these great kids. Every place you visit has a unique flavor, and when you visit with cultural arts type people, you get a real feel for the place you are visiting.

In Lafayette Louisiana I got together with a large group of students and some teachers to witness an old woman feeding the alligators. She had a chicken at the end of a long stick. The alligators came pretty close to us and this was scary and exciting for the kids. After that we all went running together. I spoke in Fresno California, where a bunch of kids took me up to the redwood forest there. I spoke in San Louis Obispo and got to visit the Hearst Castle.

I spoke in Stony Brook Long Island, where I am from, and I was one of the Keynote speakers, in front of Coretta Scott King. I got to talk with her.

When I spoke in L.A. at UCLA, I got to meet Tony Melendez. He is from Mexico and was born without arms – one of the thalidomide babies. Tony plays guitar with his toes. He plays lead and bass, and sings.

I have met so many wonderful people and got a real taste of life all over the country.

For anyone interested in my services as a speaker, here is a brief biography:

A man of courage and vision, George Mendoza seems invincible. Even though he lost his sight at the age of 15, he has gone on to become a world class runner, Olympic contender and a motivational speaker for the youth and disabled in America. Mr. Mendoza has written a novel, Cup of All Good Things which is the first book in his “The Spirit Man Trilogy and an autobiographical screenplay, “The George Mendoza Story,” a one hour docu-drama which was aired on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and was hosted and narrated by Academy Awared winner, Robert Duvall.