Family Promise of Greater Wichita is excited to announce that ShaiLyn Malsky, an existing FPGW staff member, has accepted a position as full time Family Advocate, serving families in the FPGW Rotation program.
ShaiLyn joined the Family Promise staff team in 2020 as an AmeriCorps VISTA. After serving her year with AmeriCorps, Shai decided to take on a part time staff position as Day House Assistant, continuing to support families and the FPGW team through special projects and assistance while finishing school. She has helped the program grow and empowered families to thrive during her time in this role.
Since originally joining the Family Promise team, ShaiLyn has finished her schooling through Wichita State University and completed the certification process to become a Licensed Master of Social Work. She also married her partner Aaron and they have grown their pet family together.
Over the past two years, ShaiLyn has learned a lot. She says the biggest lesson she’s learned working at FPGW has been that “every situation is different and you can’t judge on appearance or what is on paper” when supporting families in crisis. She has always loved working with children and families, but knows now that she was uninformed on the issue of family homelessness when she started working as a VISTA. She understands better now that people are complex and so are their barriers/issues. Bringing an empathetic perspective, ShaiLyn seeks to approach each situation and family without bias and to work sincerely and enthusiastically as an advocate. She wants to “bridge the gap to empathy” for families in our community.
After earning her LMSW, Shai considered the options before her. When asked what made her decide to stay with FPGW and take on this new role, she reiterated how much she loves the mission of Family Promise and how FPGW seeks to “make the most impact on our community while growing and continuing to meet needs.” She loves the “yes” mentality of the FPGW team and that each staff member and volunteer genuinely care about the whole person and know that “it’s not just the symptoms” we’re working on.
Shai loves her job. “The minute someone asks me what I do, I don’t shut up. I literally can’t get enough. I still get chills. It is literally a privilege to do what I do and work with amazing families.”
Executive Director Dawn Epp is “thrilled to have ShaiLyn continue to be a part of our team. She brings a level of professionalism to this role, but also the uncanny ability to meet families right where they are. The transition has been seamless.”
Welcome to your new role, ShaiLyn! The whole FPGW community is excited to have you continuing this important work.
