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Privacy Notice
Greenheart International
Effective Date: 1/9/2019
This privacy notice describes how Greenheart International collects, uses, and discloses Personally Identifying Information (also known as “PII”) or Personal Data (collectively “Personal Information”) from and about users of Greenheart International websites. This privacy notice also applies to any associated paper forms. Please read this privacy notice before using Greenheart International websites or submitting any personal information.
These practices may be changed at any time. Changes will be posted along with the date of the change. You should review this privacy notice when you visit Greenheart International websites to make sure that you understand how Personal Information is collected, used, and disclosed.
The Personal Information you provide to us is only used to:
We may use non-Personal Information for additional reasons described in the remainder of this privacy notice.
If you identify yourself to us by sending us an email with questions or comments, we may retain your comments for future reference.
Greenheart collects Personal Information, which is information that on its own or in combination with other information may be used to identify, contact, or locate an individual. Examples include:
Greenheart International collects other information that relates to you but does not identify you. Examples include clickstream data and web-browsing information (such as the date and time you visit a website, whether you click on various advertisements or links and the search terms you enter when using a website), and information about your computer, device and internet connection, and geographic location.
We collect Personal Information from you in the following ways:
We may share information gathered by us from Greenheart International websites with governmental agencies or other companies assisting us in providing services to you. We may do so when:
Information provided under one of the four preceding bullet points will not be used by those receiving it for marketing purposes, unless specifically authorized by the user.
Third parties who provide webhosting services or other services that make possible the operation of Greenheart International websites and the services you request through the websites may have access to information that you provide us to the extent that those third parties require access to our databases to service the websites.
In connection with the sale or transfer of all or part of our assets, we reserve the right to transfer information we have obtained from or about you.
We are not responsible for any breach of security or for any actions of any third parties that receive information from us.
Greenheart International websites are hosted and maintained in the United States of America. Your Personal Information may be transmitted to countries outside of the European Economic Area, including the United States of America. You can obtain details of the mechanism under which your personal data is transferred outside the EU by contacting us. If your Personal Information is transferred outside the European Economic Area to third party service providers, we will take steps to ensure that your Personal Information receives the same level of protection as if it remained within the European Economic Area, including by entering into data transfer agreements using the European Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses, or by relying on certification schemes such as the EU–US Privacy Shield.
Greenheart International websites use cookie and tracking technology to collect non-Personal Information. Our system also automatically gathers information about areas you visit on our websites, and about the links you select from within one of our websites to the other areas of the World Wide Web or elsewhere online. We use such information in the aggregate to understand how our users as a group use the services and resources provided on our websites. This way we know which areas of our websites are preferred by our users, which areas need improvement, and what technologies are being used so that we may continually improve our websites. Personal Information cannot be collected via cookies and other tracking technology, however, if you previously provided us with your Personal Information, cookies may be tied to such information. Aggregate cookie and tracking information may be shared with third parties but that aggregate information does not identify individual website users. Our web servers do not record visitor email addresses unless that information is submitted by the visitor. We may determine what technology is available through your browser to provide you with the most appropriate version of a web page. Greenheart International uses Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Gravity Forms, Yoast, Formstack, Calendly, GoOverseas, and other web traffic tracking tools.
Greenheart International websites contain links to other websites. These links are for your convenience. We do not control, endorse or review the privacy notices of other websites, which may be different than this privacy notice. You should review the privacy notice of other websites before choosing to disclose Personal Information.
Greenheart takes steps to secure your Personal Information. We exercise care in providing secure transmissions when we need to transfer your Personal Information from our servers. Our websites use secure server software encryption, which is indicated by https in the url of the website. Encryption is a common method of ensuring that information remains private. Greenheart International cannot guarantee or warrant that the information that you transmit to us, or any communications is completely secure.
Greenheart International only retains data for as long as necessary for the purposes indicated in this privacy notice or for such other period as may be permitted or required by law.
For children age 14-16, Greenheart International takes additional steps to protect their Personal Information. We do not intend to collect Personal Information from children aged 13 or younger. These additional steps include:
The marks Greenheart, Greenheart Heart Logo, and Sobresmesa are either registered or unregistered trademarks of Greenheart International. All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized use is prohibited.
Certain jurisdictions provide their residents or citizens with certain rights about their Personal Information. These may include the right to request access to the data we hold about you, to obtain a copy of your Personal Information, to request that your Personal Information be erased, to correct inaccurate information, to ask us to restrict how we process your Personal Information, or to withdraw your consent to our processing of your Personal Information. Your individual rights will depend on your residency and citizenship.
Please contact us using the following information for more information about this privacy notice, to notify us of a concern or complaint, or to exercise any of the individual rights you may have.
Data Protection Officer
By mail: 742 N LaSalle Dr. Chicago, IL 60654 Suite 300, USA
By email: click here
By phone: +1 312-944-2544
Additionally, all marketing emails and newsletters from Greenheart International allow you to opt out of further correspondence. You can do so by clicking the link within the emails, which will guide you on how to opt-out.
Greenheart Exchange is always on the lookout for host families for our awesome international high school students coming to live the USA life. All kinds of people host for all kinds of reasons, and we love to hear about what brings families to commit to hosting a foreign exchange student. Brandi and her husband, Dane, decided to host after a 10-year infertility struggle and the experience helped Brandi redefine her “momhood.” Here’s her story.
I had accepted that after a 10-year infertility struggle, I would never get pregnant or have kids of my own. I was embracing this new journey. Dog Mom. Wife. Aunt. Teacher. And then, I went to a cooking class with my husband to learn how to make pork chops and apple turnovers. And my life changed.
We were joined at our table by a lady with curly brown hair and a teenage girl. We learned that they had just moved to town. The teenage girl was a foreign exchange student who would be attending the school where I taught. And the lady was her host mom and also a local coordinator who assisted and supported other host families and exchange students. After some conversation, the lady gave us her card and said, “You’d make great host parents!”
Dane and I looked at each other… Had we finally found a way to have a kid? After class, we decided that we could do this! So, I emailed the coordinator, filled out the application, and waited to hear if we were approved to be host parents. Not long after, we were approved, and it was time to pick a kiddo!
Our local coordinator sent us some student applications, but we struggled to find our perfect fit. We wanted someone who loved dogs. While kids can be moved to another home if they aren’t a fit, Dane and I felt strongly that once we agreed to bring a student into our home, that kid was there to stay. And then, we received “the” application. She was holding a puppy in her profile picture!
And so, we said, “YES!” to Bruna from Brazil. I started emailing Bruna to get to know her a bit better before she arrived. We even Skyped with her and our nieces. I was so excited and so nervous. Looking at Dane, I questioned, “Are we ready for this?!” I could not believe we were finally going to have a two-legged kiddo in our home.
On December 28, our dream came true. Our host daughter, Bruna, arrived to live with us for 6 months. We hugged, we took pictures, and we brought her home (without her bags because they were lost…) And that is when the adventure really began!
Now, I realize that a foreign exchange student is not your own child. You do not adopt this kid and she has loving parents back in Brazil. But when you decide to host, you welcome her into your home and treat her as your daughter. And so, you are a family.
We had an absolutely incredible experience with Bruna during her semester in the United States. She helped us look at life through new eyes and see the magnificent wonders around us. And we have continued to develop our relationship since she went back to Brazil. She has visited us, and we have visited her. Her Brazilian family is amazing, and her parents openly share Bruna with us, accepting us into their family with open arms!
Our hosting story is not unique. Friends that we made while hosting keep in touch with their kids, too. And their exchange sons and daughters have returned to visit them, as well. Hosting grows your family, expands your world, and helped us embrace a new path.
Brandi has a video on her website about the hosting experience. Here are just a few tips she shares in that video.
Thank you, Brandi, for sharing your story. If you’d like to read more from Brandi, please visit notsomommy.com
If you are interested in hosting an exchange student, please visit HostwithGreenheart.org today.