` Paul Wichansky is Making Waves! My recent book contribution is beyond my wildest dreams! Earlier last year, I wrote a heartfelt letter to actor David Hasselhoff. In my 6-page letter, I explained how the Knight Rider television series made me understand (at an early age) that each of us can also be heroes - in other words, ordinary people who triumph over extraordinary circumstances - like our favorite television characters did each week. David has included my full letter in his memoirs, titled "Don't Hassel the Hoff", and is now in bookstores! It's the only fan letter that David has included in his book, a full six pages! Pages 273-278. Click here to read my letter to David. I am sharing the comments (with pictures!) of many readers who have responded with their honest thoughts on my letter. If you want to share your thoughts, please e-mail me.

Just The Way I Am Another real dream comes true! This photo was taken during a rare one-on-one conversation with "Piano Man" Billy Joel. Billy was then hosting a college lecture class at the University of Delaware, and prior to the lecture, we were able to chat for a few minutes backstage. I wanted to place an extra smile on Billy's face! After I made several 8x10" copies of this photograph, I autographed one of them and sent it to Billy for his own collection. It's incredible that Billy chose to frame and hang my autographed photo in his den of his New York City apartment, though I did not know of this until years later! What a generous gesture, Billy! It's a fantastic dream come true ...

` Jumping from a plane! In my skydiving experience, I give a twin thumbs-up for the camera at 120 mph. At this moment, I am in a free-fall at over two miles above southern N.J., falling at 200 feet per second. With me is my skydiving instructor Jason Gonzalas. On the western horizon is the city of Philadelphia; on the eastern horizon, Atlantic City! You can see both towns from this height! Of course, you can't scream until the parachute opens -- if you open your mouth, you end up choking on the air because you are moving so fast!

A BMW Without the Cost If you think that I may be unique person, you must agree that I drive one unique car! To get other drivers to smile, my Mercury Topaz has been transformed into a M-series BMW 330Ci. The BMW emblems on the grille, wheels, and trunk makes other drivers smile or scratch their heads! What kind of BMW is that? The European edition? The Mercury Topaz above is the original pseudo-BMW I have driven for eight years. To see photos of my new car, please click here. Then select (1) K-12 Schools; (2) Speakers from the left menu; and (3) Paul S. Wichansky. In November 2002, I have written a positive letter to William Clay Ford, Jr., who is the CEO and President of Ford Motor Company, informing him of my dream. Click here to read my letter to Mr. Ford.

` Can you imagine me in a Ferrari F430 or a Dodge Viper? Even so, my fave ride is the one and only BMW-rebadged Honda Accord! I have a cool and professional myspace profile with pictures of all these cars. My profile is also filled with new and hilarious stories as well as pictures of my rides (including me in the driver's seat of an awesome BMW-rebadged Dodge Viper convertible!), artwork, and places that I have visited (including a K-8 school on the shores of Lake Erie in September 2007). I even have the popular Billy Joel lip-sync videos on my profile too! I have my profile private for a reason. Many of my stories described there will be published in a future book about these assemblies. So you need to have been in my audience before I can accept you as a myspace friend. If you have attended my assembly and have been encountering uncomfortable situations in school (such as bullying), you are always welcome to connect with me if you are seeking advice or suggestions from someone who has "been there, done that." I keep my profile positive all the time, and I encourage you to write on my walls comments and impressions that would make me smile! I love picture comments, so please leave some for me.

Bond. James Bond. Never say never again! After I deliver my awareness program to United Nations representatives at their Special Session on Children, I am delighted at the opportunity to meet actor Roger Moore. Roger commends me on my continuing journey to educate children about disabilities. I was attending a New York City event where Roger Moore and Harry Belafonte were unveiling a statue in honor of Audrey Hepburn's lifetime contribution to UNICEF. This was the cherry on the proverbial sundae, ending a truly captivating day speaking to United Nations representatives! I only missed the chance to meet U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan because a few supermodels wanted to talk to me.

` "Our Future President." Those are the exact words I said to Bill Bradley to get him to smile! In this event, Bill Bradley awarded me the 1988 Young Citizenship Award for my active involvement in community service. This photograph was taken during a reception at Brower Commons on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick. Notice how Senator Bradley towers over me! Of course, he is a former basketball star, but I have more headroom in cars.

At the United Nations Two amazing motivational speakers share a rare quiet moment in front of the United Nations in New York City. I have been fortunate to team up with Scott Chesney, where we have co-presented our programs at various schools, and continue to work together, even at the United Nations. Between Scott and me, our collective programs have spanned nearly thirty years and reached millions of youth, parents, and teachers around New Jersey and around the world!

` The Birthday Boy At my 30th birthday party, my little brothers Alex and Ian make fun of my small stature. They lift me upwards so I can be near their own heights of 6-foot 2-inches! Ian and Alex are both lifeguards at the Jersey shore each summer. Their job is to keep the girls away from me, and I also keep the girls away from them! If you want to find me during the summers, I am almost always keeping my brothers company on sunny days at the beach in Belmar, New Jersey, during the weekends. They guard at 14th Avenue, Belmar, and my white car is usually parked in front of the 14th Avenue entrance (with these orange cones around the car). On the weekends, I'm at the shore generally between 5:00am into the early afternoons. If you see my car covered, just ask the badge checkers where Paul is sitting. Or even better -- just ask any one of the lifeguards at 14th Avenue!

Face to Face, In Person! In early 2002, Billy introduced me and my sister Suzanne to singer Elton John before a concert in Philadelphia. I reminded Billy and Elton of my interpretation of the song, Just The Way You Are, and to my delight, they played it for us on stage that evening. In October, I meet Billy and Elton at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. This time, it was my little brother Ian's birthday, so I gave him a special gift of the concert that evening and a one-on-one with the two Piano Men! Billy walked up to me at that moment and greeted me with, "Hey Paul, what's up, buddy?" Ian -- who was standing next to me -- was astounded!

` My Acryllic Painting My acryllic painting of a scene from Lassie, with our hero trying to save a bird protecting her eggs. Painting completed in December 1987 when I was a sophomore in high school. (The camera flash off the glass frame is visible here.) This painting took me about four months to do, from pencil to paint. I really like the use of vivid colors here, which helps bring the scene to life! Thanks to Mrs. Vona, my high-school art teacher, for her enthusiasm and inspiration. She is a hero to me in every sense of the word.

My Porsche 911 Turbo! During my senior year in high-school (1989), I finished a huge oil painting of a guards-red 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo. Over six feet in length and about four feet in height, the painting took me a full nine months to complete. The painting is quite an eye-catching sight on the wall! The mid-1980's whale-tailed 911 Turbo is a fantastic shape and continues to be my dream car, albeit one with an automatic transmission. I am not yet able to afford one, but I believe that we are not given dreams without also being given the power to make them come true.

` At the Special Olympics In a spectacular wideview shot of the stadium, I am motivating 7,000 athletes, coaches, and parents at the 2001 Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Each little point in this photo is a person's head! I am standing behind the white podium on stage, dead center in this photograph, and surrounded by balloons in a semi-circle above me. Sitting next to me on stage was the University President, Father Dobbin. I actually thought he was a church official attending to bless the ceremony, so I had no idea at the time that he was the president of Villanova University!

Two Role Models Here I am sharing a positive moment with two of my college friends at the 2001 Special Olympics at Villanova University. Dr. Robert Mankowski, left, is a Cook College alumnus who is now a veterinarian working in southern New Jersey. Rob is a genuine friend and we share frequent dinners with summertime parties at his shore home in Mystic Island, just a few miles south of Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Doug Stryker, right, has been my college roommate for two years. He is an excellent windsurfer who has campaigned to compete in this sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. During the Olympic Windsurfing Trials, Doug actually placed sixth in the United States! He is definitely another winner all the way and a role model to me for his enthusiasm and achievements!

` Meeting Superman! I was very fortunate to meet Christopher Reeve three years ago when I was invited to speak at a reception in his honor. During the VIP reception before his seminar, I inadvertently introduced Mr. Reeve to the VIP audience as I was totally unaware that he wheeled himself into the room behind and then next to me, just as I was sharing a story about how he inspired me! Mr. Reeve heard my remarks and smiled broadly: when I was seven years old in 1978 and saw the Superman movie in theaters, he was the first person outside my family to tell me that my dreams indeed had wings of their own and that I would be able to walk someday without the use of leg braces (now a reality!). The flash on the camera was not used here, to prevent the flash from hurting Mr. Reeve's eyes. Our photo is beyond any words of description!

That Special Smile What keeps my attitude so positive is a passion to inspire students during my school programs. Last year, I was fortunate to be invited to a new school district, and during my first presentation, John became very excited. He began asking a lot of profound questions and wanted to educate himself while sharing his feelings about growing up with his own disability with me and with his fellow classmates. He has an upbeat personality, as well as a huge amount of compassion and a generosity towards others, no doubt contributed by his amazing parents and his sister Aileen. For a bright 10-year-old boy to exude this level of confidence and optimism - qualities that are rare in people at any age - I can only hope to return half of the inspiration and confidence which he has given to me. John competes in wrestling, and has recently earned sixth place in the national elementary-school wrestling championships! Congrats to John, my hero! If you want to read my magazine column where I describe John and also the principal themes of my motivational programs and keynotes, please click here. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read my column.