About
Guy Wasko
Cities are vibrant, fast-paced ecosystems full of opportunity—but they are also filled with challenges. From affordable housing to literacy gaps, food insecurity to human trafficking, every community faces issues that can feel too overwhelming for one person to tackle. Author, chaplain, and community organizer Guy Wasko believes that change begins when we stop walking by and instead decide to show up together.
In his book For NYC, and in his conversation on the PublishU Podcast, Guy shares a roadmap for community engagement, encouraging New Yorkers to become active participants in shaping the neighborhoods they call home.
At its core, For NYC is about responsibility and agency. Too often, people assume someone else will solve the problems around them—politicians, nonprofits, or experts. Guy challenges this mindset with a simple question: What if we stopped assigning responsibility to others and started collaborating to create change ourselves?
The book lays out practical ways to engage with challenges, from small acts like volunteering in a community garden to larger efforts addressing housing and social justice. By shifting from passive observers to active participants, residents can transform their city one step at a time.
Guy is more than just an author—he is a community organizer, chaplain, communicator, and entrepreneur. Since 2009, he has lived in Manhattan’s Lower East Side with his wife and three daughters, investing deeply in his neighborhood and city.
His philosophy is rooted in the idea of staying. In a transient world where people move frequently for jobs or convenience, Guy emphasizes the power of presence. Just as compound interest grows exponentially over time, long-term commitment to a community compounds into lasting impact. Staying creates “compound impact,” where relationships deepen, trust is built, and positive change accelerates.
While For NYC began as a book, it has grown into a broader initiative. In 2025, Guy launched For NYC as a platform to unite healthy leaders and local churches, with the goal of making New York City flourish. The platform focuses on equipping leaders, building networks across neighborhoods, and ensuring that collective action creates measurable change across the five boroughs.
Like many authors, Guy’s journey from idea to published book wasn’t linear. He credits the PublishU “Write My Book” course with giving him the framework, accountability, and encouragement he needed.
The result: a published book that now serves as a blueprint for community engagement in New York.
Guy’s vision for For NYC is unapologetically local. While the lessons can inspire readers anywhere, his primary audience is New Yorkers—leaders, parents, entrepreneurs, and everyday citizens who want to make their city better. His highest hope is that the book empowers people to recognize their agency and step into action, no matter the size of the issue they care about.
Whether it’s starting a literacy program, joining efforts to combat trafficking, or simply showing up for a neighbor, every action compounds into meaningful change. By being present and staying invested, we can all contribute to a city where communities flourish.
For NYC is more than a book; it’s a manifesto for engaged living. It’s a call to action for those who love their city enough to not just survive in it, but to actively make it thrive. Guy Wasko’s story reminds us that being proximate to the challenges—and choosing to stay—creates a ripple effect of transformation.
As Guy says, change doesn’t happen when we walk by with blinders on. It happens when we stop, show up, and work together.
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