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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.
By Jillian Sims: AYP Compliance and Operations Manager
For Kati and her family in Colorado, adding an exchange student to their family unit has turned out to be a rather magical and, at times, a bit of a musical experience.
It all started a few months ago when Kati was registering her daughters at their local high school. “The three of us went from table to table crossing off items on a checklist. We arrived at one table and glanced down to find a photo of a smiling young lady along with her bio. Out of curiosity we picked it up and began reading about her. It was at that moment that the lady across the table, the local exchange program director, asked if we would like an exchange student. Finishing the bio, we responded, “Yes. We want this one!” Maike’s story read like that of our own daughters. She shared many common interests, likes, and dislikes – even to a common phobia of spiders! We did explain that we’d have to discuss the idea with my husband and our other two daughters first before committing to hosting Maike. By that evening, ‘Dad’ and the other girls were completely on board. We filled out all the forms and within four days, Maike was ours!”
Though it hasn’t been that long yet since Maike has arrived from Germany, the family has no shortage of fun memories already created with their new family member. You can find Maike and her host sisters, Hannah and Sarah, writing and singing original songs, or perhaps learning the words to “Let it Go” in German. Even family dog, Liberty, gets in on the action. And there have been other memorable and funny moments too, like one of Maike’s first days of school when host sister, Hannah caught Maike staring absentmindedly at a banana. “You know you have to peel it, right?” she offered. The lot of them fell into peals of laughter as Maike assured them that Germans are well aware of how to eat the cross-cultural fruit.
Host mom recalls another mishap involving the ice bucket challenge. “One of our favorite memories with our ‘new family’ is of three of the girls –
Maike, Rebekah, and Hannah – doing the ice bucket challenge. The combined weight of the full bucket of water plus Maike’s statuesque height meant Rebekah missed Maike’s head entirely and caught her right across her shoulders. The momentum of the bucket propelled it into Hannah, who slipped and fell causing Rebekah to come down as well. All three challengers dissolved into laughter as well as those of us who were filming the process.”
Of course, there are also times for more seriousness and other chances that the family has had to bond. Both the family, and even school faculty, have taken an active part in helping Maike increase her English proficiency in the first few weeks and months, which has been challenging at times. But how did the family meet the challenge and what can they offer as advice to other families in similar situations?
Kati begins at the core of her family’s key to success with Maike: “To someone who has never hosted before, we would say, first and foremost, be deliberate about communicating. Be open, patient, proactive, and positive! When it comes to ‘issues’, whether at school or on the home front, engage early on and communicate expectations or come to some sort of an agreement that is satisfactory.”
Speaking about her student’s academic and language concerns, “I think that helping Maike through difficulties at school begins at home… By patiently explaining processes, words, and situations she encounters at home, she is less stressed by what she encounters at school. We made a point of meeting all of her teachers the second week of school and inquiring as to how we could best team up to help her adjustment. Some of the teachers placed English dictionaries on her desk to facilitate better understanding, and all of them are available to give assistance to her. Parents and teachers alike encourage her efforts. I assist in homework by working with her when appropriate, quizzing her on vocabulary words and explaining concepts that she is unsure of. We also were proactive in tweaking her schedule of classes so that it was a better fit for her abilities.”
Overall, it has only been a fraction of the year that Maike will spend here, but the family considers themselves a solid unit and cannot imagine life without her already. Host Dad, Matthew says, “We chose to love her from the start!” Kati describes her family and how Maike fits within, “We are a military family and are always trying to instill resilience in our daughters; Maike possesses that virtue in spades! She is an incredible role model to emulate with regards to having a positive attitude, facing uncertainty with poise, and dealing with difficulties with composure and courage.”
Maike herself says, “I love my host family!” It seems pretty clear to everyone, that the feeling is mutual.
Want an experience like this for your family? Consider opening your home to an exchange student and learn how you can apply to be a host family by clicking here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNmzqo0PMNw