PRIVACY

We are committed to
respecting your privacy

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of February 2023
FamilyCare Services, Inc. dba Shine Together has created this privacy policy (the “Privacy Policy”) in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to your privacy and security. This Privacy Policy discloses our information collection policies and practices for the website: www.shinetogether.com (the “Website”).
This Website is owned and operated by the FamilyCare Services, Inc. dba Shine Together (hereinafter referred to as “Shine Together,” or “we” or “us”). This Privacy Policy applies only to Shine Together’s online information-gathering and sharing practices occurring on the Website and does not apply to any of our practices conducted offline.
By visiting this Website, you are accepting the practices and policies described in this Privacy Policy, and you are further indicating that you agree to be bound by the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, you should not visit this Website or use any of the “links” on this Website. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, so please check this Privacy Policy periodically for changes. The date this Privacy Policy was last updated is stated at the end of this document.
Summary
  • In most cases, Shine Together does not collect personally identifiable information about you other than what you freely share. We do log the IP address of every computer that visits our site as part of our normal site usage tracking, as further detailed below.
  • You have the option of entering personally identifiable information about yourself as you interact with the Website, including name, address, demographic data such as age, etc. Shine Together uses this information to help us understand who our site users are and how we may better target and tailor our services.
  • Except as stated in this Privacy Policy, Shine Together does not share any of your personally identifiable information outside the Shine Together organization.
  • You retain full control over all information you share about yourself and may remove or request removal of this information at any time.
  • You retain full control over what types of email communication you receive from Shine Together and may opt to discontinue email correspondence at any time.
  • You have the option to share personally identifiable information about yourself with other visitors to the Website. You may remove from the Website or request removal from the Website of any such information you share.
  • Anytime you enter personally identifiable information, not intended to be shared publicly, such as password, address, or credit card number, this information is sent to Shine Together over a secure connection.
  • Shine Together uses generally accepted industry standards to protect the information submitted to us.
The personal information we collect, how we collect it and how it is used:
The Website does not collect any personally identifiable information about our Website visitors, other than information that visitors freely enter. The one exception to this is that, like most Web sites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information includes Internet protocol (IP) addresses, as further discussed below.
Sign-in accounts:
You may freely visit our Website without being required to provide us with any personal information. However, some requests and features do require that you provide us with some personally identifying information as more particularly described below. Personal information is data that can be used to identify or contact you. Please do not send confidential information to us directly via the contact email addresses listed on this Website.
Access to certain areas of the Website requires the creation of a sign-in account. There are two types of accounts: those for dues-paying Shine Together members, and those for non-members.
Member accounts: Web site accounts for Shine Together members are tied to your Shine Together membership. This connects your sign-in account to your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address, as well as to your membership status, dues history, and donation history.

Non-member accounts: Free sign-in accounts for non-members require your name, address, e-mail address. Phone number is optional.

The IP address of all users who sign-in is logged. This is done to enable us to troubleshoot sign-in or access problems for registered users.

Online membership:

Web site visitors have the opportunity to join Shine Together online. When joining, in addition to the information required for creating the sign-in account, you must also provide your credit card number, which is used to pay the cost of membership.
Your contact information is entered into a membership database. You may be added to the postal mailing lists of Shine Together. Your contact information is not to be shared outside Shine Together.
Optional personal information:
All users who sign-in also can provide optional personal information about themselves including:
  • Demographic information (age, gender, income) and information about your family member’s illness. This information is used in aggregate reports to help us have a better idea of who our users are and how we can better tailor our site to their needs. We may also use this information to help us target e-mail communication. For example, we might send an e-mail announcing a conference for Latinos to everyone who has identified themselves as Latino and has given us permission to send e-mail. Additionally, the aggregate reports may be shared with a third party, such as a site sponsor, but will never be shared outside of Shine Together in a way that makes you personally identifiable.
  • You can opt-in or opt-out from receiving general e-mail announcements from Shine Together, as well as subscribe to one of our e-newsletters at this page
Online event registration:
If you register for an event on our Website, you must first activate a sign-in account. Additionally, you may be required to enter credit card information. We use this information to register you, to send you a confirmation, and to do any subsequent follow-up about the event.
You also have the option to “opt-in” to be added to a mailing list, from which you may receive announcements about future events via postal mail or e-mail. This is outside of your general opt-in preference for e-mail from Shine Together as indicated on your subscriptions page. If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please contact us via e-mail info@shinetogether.com or at the address below.
Discussion Groups:
To participate in an online discussion group on our Website, you must first activate a sign-in account.
The user name you choose will be displayed beside your posts to the discussion group, so please choose your user name carefully if you do not wish to be personally-identifiable.
You should be aware that any information you post to a discussion group will be available for viewing by all other visitors to our site, which includes the general public, unless you have been specifically informed that the group which you are posting to is restricted to certain users.
If you ever wish to have something you have posted removed, please email us at info@shinethogether.com or use the address below. Posts which violate our discussion group policies may be removed at Shine Together’s discretion and the user may have their sign-in account revoked.
Non-Personal Information We Collect by Automated Means And How We Use It:
We also collect certain non-personal information (data in a form that does not support direct association with any specific person or individual) by automated means when you visit the Website. Much of this information is collected through the use of third-party tracking services, such as Google Analytics. When gathered, this data is used in the aggregate, and not in a manner that is intended to identify you personally. In addition to the third-party tracking services mentioned above, we also collect this information through various other means, including “cookies,” “web beacons” and IP addresses, as further explained below.
Cookies:
A “cookie ” is a small file that a Web site can place on your computer. Cookies are commonly used by websites to improve the user experience. Many cookies last only through a single website session, or visit. Others may have an expiration date or may remain on your computer until you delete them. We may use “session cookies” to enhance the user experience and for other web-related purposes. These session cookies are not linked to personally identifiable information. Most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookie, how to be notified when you receive a new cookie, and how to disable existing cookies.
If your Web browser is set to accept cookies, the Website places cookies when you visit. In order to sign in to the Website, you must accept cookies from Shine Together. Cookies are used to present you with a better experience and to remember your preferences, such as Remember Me.
Also, if you are “signed-in” to the Website, clicking the “Logout” link from the top of any page on the Website other than the home page will remove your contact ID from your cookie, and will prevent others from using your sign-in account. You can remove Shine Together’s cookie at any time by following the directions provided in your Internet browser’s “Help ” file.
Clear gifs (Web beacons/Web bugs):
We may elect to employ a software technology called clear gifs (a.k.a. Web beacons/Web bugs) in our e-newsletters and other e-mail communications that would help us measure the effectiveness of our communication efforts. Clear gifs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to track which users have opened which e-mail messages. It is possible for us to tie the information provided by clear gifs to your personally identifiable information, though we do not routinely do so. We are primarily interested in the aggregate effectiveness of our various e-communication efforts.
Link Tracking:
Many links within e-mail communications you receive from us have a tracking ID at the end. This enables us to measure how often certain links are clicked on to gauge overall interest in the email campaign. From e-mails, or from the Website when you are signed in, it is possible for us to tie the information provided by tracking IDs to your personally identifiable information. We are primarily interested in the aggregate effectiveness of our various online efforts.
IP Addresses:
When you visit and interact with the Website, third parties with whom we have contracted to provide services for us may collect Internet Protocol addresses (each an “IP Address”), as well as browser type, Internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and page navigation. An IP Address is a unique identifier number that certain electronic devices used to identify and to communicate with each other on the Internet; your Internet Service Provider automatically assigns an IP Address to the computer that you are using. We gather this information to track Website visitor movement in the aggregate, and to gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. We may use this information to enhance our Website or for other lawful purposes.
Response To “Do-Not-Track” Signals:
Every time your computer sends or receives information over the world wide web, the request begins with some short pieces of information called “headers.” These headers include information like what browser you are using, what language your computer is set to, and other details. The “Do Not Track” technology provides individual users with the ability to include a simple, machine-readable header indicating that they don’t want to be tracked and sends a signal to websites visited requesting that the website disable either its tracking or cross-site user tracking of an individual user. Currently, various browsers – including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari – offer a “Do Not Track” option. Presently, there is no consensus on how “Do Not Track” should be interpreted, and no common or accepted industry standard for implementing. Consequently, we do not respond to Web browser “Do Not Track” signals.
How we use the information we collect:
Except as otherwise stated in this Privacy Policy, Shine Together does not share any personally identifiable information about you with un-related third parties. You have the option to update, revise, or have deleted any personal information you have shared with Shine Together, as further specified herein. For specific information about how information is used, please see the section above.
Communications from the site:
Customer service:
When you create a free sign-in account on the Web site, we may send you a confirmation e-mail to verify your user name and password. We will also communicate with you in response to your inquiries, to provide the services you request, confirm the actions you have taken (online transactions, etc.), and to manage your account. We will communicate with you via e-mail, or we may communicate with you via telephone if we cannot reach you via e-mail.
General announcements and promotions:
We will occasionally send you information on special events, news, or opportunities. Out of respect for your privacy, we present the option not to receive these types of communications. Please see “Choice and Opt-Out”
E-newsletters:
If you subscribe to one of our e-newsletters, we will use your name and e-mail address to send it to you. Out of respect for your privacy, we present the option to unsubscribe. Please see “Choice and Opt-Out “
Other e-mail notifications:
You may also choose to receive other types of e-mail from Shine Together, related to particular features on the Website. You may control what e-mails you receive from within the particular feature they are related to.
Service or membership-related announcements:
On rare occasions, we will send you service- or membership-related announcements when it is necessary to do so. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance, we might send you an e-mail.
Generally, you may not opt-out of these communications, which are not promotional in nature. If you do not wish to receive them, you have the option to deactivate your account.
Choice and Opt-out:
We provide several opportunities for you to control the amount of personally-identifiable information you share with us, and the use of that information:
Self-service:
If you have a sign-in account, you may visit the __________ [ET4] area to add to, modify, or remove your personal information and preferences. This includes your contact information, demographic information, interest preferences, newsletter and e-mail subscriptions. The exception to this is that you may not fully delete your sign-in account from the system. If you want your account fully deleted, please contact Shine Together using the information below.
Other means:
Please contact Shine Together directly if you wish to have your sign-in account removed, be removed from any postal mailing lists, or are unable to access any of the means explained under “Self Service ” above. Or you may also respond to the return address on the information you received:

c/o FamilyCare Services, Inc. dba Shine Together
PO Box 2203
751 East Blithedale Ave
Mill Valley, CA. 94941

What information we share and with whom:
Personally identifiable information that you provide Shine Together will only be used internally by Shine Together. This includes your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, information preferences, and demographic information.
In the course of providing our services, Shine Together may elect to rely upon certain trusted business partners to perform certain tasks, such as handling mass mailings, delivering e-communications, hosting video calls, processing payments, etc. This involves transferring information about you in paper or electronic form. Shine Together makes every effort to ensure the trustworthiness and best business practices of these partners. These agents and third parties are prohibited from using your personally identifiable information for any other purpose.
Except as stated in this Privacy Policy, we do not reveal personally identifiable information about you to third parties for their independent use unless: (1) you expressly authorize Shine Together to do so, (2) it is necessary to allow Shine Together and its service providers or agents to provide services on Shine Together’s behalf, (3) it is to provide products or services to you, (4) it is disclosed to entities that perform marketing or data aggregation services for Shine Together, (5) it is necessary in connection with a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of Shine Together or the merger of Shine Together into another entity or any consolidation, share exchange, combination, reorganization, or like transaction in which Shine Together is not the survivor, (6) Shine Together is required or permitted to do so for any or all of the following reasons: (i) to comply with a subpoena, legal process, government request or any other legal obligation, (ii) to prevent, investigate, detect, or prosecute criminal offenses or attacks on the technical integrity of the Website or our network, and/or (iii) to protect the rights, privacy, property, business, or safety of Shine Together, its partners and employees or the visitors to the Website.
Links to other sites:
This Website contains links to other sites that are not owned or controlled by Shine Together. Please be aware that we, Shine Together, are not responsible for the privacy practices of other such Websites. We encourage you to be aware when you leave our Website and to read the privacy statements of each and every Website that collects personally-identifiable information.
How we protect the information we collect:
Browsers and Internet Security:
Any time you enter or provide personal information on our Web site, we encrypt it using Secure Socket Layer (“SSL”) technology. SSL protects information as it crosses the Internet. To support this technology, you need an SSL-capable browser.
You can tell if you are visiting a secure area within a Web site by looking at the lock or key symbol in your browser address window. If the address of the page begins with “https:// “, it is secure. Occasionally, the page you enter data on may not be secure, but by submitting the information you activate a secure connection and thus your data is submitted securely.
We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, however. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
Children’s Privacy/Note To Parents:
The Website does not intentionally or knowingly collect, use, or disclose personally identifiable information about visitors to our Website who are less than 13 years of age. If a child under the age of 13 submits information to us through any part of the Website and Shine Together becomes aware that the user submitting the information is under the age of 13, the information provided will be deleted as soon as it is discovered and not used for any purpose. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 13 years of age and believe that they have disclosed personally identifiable information to us, please contact us at info@shinetogether.com and be sure to include in your message the name and email address that you believe your child submitted, if applicable.
What if I Provide Information from Outside the United States?
Our Website is hosted in the United States and is governed by US law. Accordingly, by submitting any personal information to us you are transferring your personal information to the United States and you consent to such transfer. We do not represent or warrant that the Website, or any part thereof, is appropriate or available for use in any particular geographic location. If you choose to access our Website, you do so on your own initiative and at your own risk, and are responsible for complying with all local laws, rules, and regulations applicable in your jurisdiction. If you are visiting the Website from outside the United States, please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated. The data protection and other laws of the United States and other countries might not be as comprehensive as those in your country. By using the Website, you consent to your information being transferred to our facilities and to the facilities of those third parties with whom we share it as described in this Policy.
SPECIAL NOTICE TO EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA, SWITZERLAND AND UNITED KINGDOM USERS:
The following provisions applies only to users residing in the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and the United Kingdom:
In May of 2018 a new data privacy law known as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) went into effect. Pursuant to GDPR, we are required to provide those residing in the EEA, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (hereinafter, the “EU Users”) additional information and rights related to the Personal Information we collect about them. For the purposes of this GDPR Privacy Notice section, “Personal Information” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable person. We summarize such information and rights below.
How To Contact Us:
FamilyCare Services, Inc. (the Data Controller) is the owner and operator of the Website. If you need to contact us for any reason related to this Privacy Policy or your use of the Website, please contact us at the following address:
FamilyCare Services, Inc. dba Shine Together
PO Box 2203
751 East Blithedale Ave
Mill Valley, CA. 94941
Purpose For Information Collection:
As noted in this Privacy Policy, you may visit our Website without being required to provide us with any Personal Information. However, should you decide to provide such information, the information we collect will be used to meet your requests, or to provide you with the applicable information or service requested, and as further described herein.
Legal Grounds For Processing Personal Information:
Shine Together will process Personal Information that we receive from EU Users on the ground that it is in our legitimate interest for the effective administration of the Website, or to fulfill and/or address your requests.
Your Personal Information And Your Choices; Withdrawal Of Consent:
GDPR provides EU Users with additional rights in respect to the Personal Information we hold about you, including

How to access your information and your other rights

  • The right of access
    If you ask us, we will confirm whether we are processing your Personal Information and, if necessary, provide you with a copy of that Personal Information (along with certain other details).
  • Your right to correction (rectification)
    If the Personal Information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you are entitled to request to have it corrected.
  • Your right to erasure
    You can ask us to delete or remove your Personal Information in some circumstances, such as where we no longer need it or if you withdraw your consent (where applicable).
  • Your right to data portability
    You have the right, in certain circumstances, to receive a copy of Personal Information we’ve obtain from you.
  • Your right to withdraw consent
    If we rely on your consent (or explicit consent) as our legal basis for processing your Personal Information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
  • Your right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority
    If you have a concern about any aspect of our privacy practices, including the way we’ve handled your Personal Information, you can report it to the relevant supervisory authority.
We will respond to any such above requests within a reasonable timeframe. Some of these rights may be in circumstances in which we are not legally required to comply with your request because of the laws in your jurisdiction or because of exemptions provided in data protection legislation in general, and GDPR in particular, or where the Personal Information may be exempt from disclosure due the applicable rules of professional conduct, attorney-client privilege, legal professional privilege, other applicable privileges or protections, or professional secrecy obligations.
Please also note we may need to retain certain Personal Information for record keeping purposes, and there may also be residual Personal Information that will remain within our databases and other records, which will not be removed from such locations. Additionally, please note that we are not responsible for removing or deleting information from the databases of third parties (such as service providers) with whom we have shared information about you, but we will make the request on your behalf for such removal/deletion.
Data Retention:
We will retain your information for as long as needed to provide you services, or otherwise as is reasonable and customary given the nature of the relationship you have with Shine Together. We may need to retain certain information for record keeping purposes, and there may also be residual information that will remain within our databases and other records, which will not be removed from such locations. Otherwise, we will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. We have a data retention and destruction plan that dictates the policies and procedures related to deletion and/or destruction of all information/data.
Third Party Contractors and Other Data Processors:
We may appoint subcontractor data processors as required to deliver the services, such as, without limitation, IT systems or software providers, IT Support service providers, and document and information storage providers, who will process Personal Information on our behalf and at our direction. We conduct an appropriate level of due diligence and put in place contractual documentation in relation to any sub-contractor to ensure that they process Personal Information appropriately and according to our legal and regulatory obligations.
Changes to This GDPR Privacy Notice:
We may make changes to this GDPR Privacy Notice from time to time, to reflect changes in our practices. We may also make changes as required to comply with changes in applicable law or regulatory requirements. Where we materially change this Privacy Notice, we will take steps to notify you (such as by posting a notice on the Website or via email), and where required by applicable law to obtain your consent.
SPECIAL NOTICE TO CALIFORNIA AND OTHER STATE USERS:
This Privacy Notice for US Residents supplements the Privacy Policy to comply with certain state laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), to the extent they are applicable. These rights are not absolute, are subject to limitations, and may not be afforded to all residents of all states. In certain cases, we may decline requests to exercise these rights where permitted by law.
The CCPA is a California law which provides that its residents may have certain rights over information about them, including notice about the categories of personal information we have collected from you in the preceding 12 months and the purposes for which the information is used or disclosed.
The data collected as well as the purpose for collection and sources of information are detailed in the Privacy Policy.
The data referenced at those links may fall in certain defined categories under the CCPA. Accordingly, we may have collected, the use of it, and the information we may have shared falls into the following personal information categories under the CCPA:
  • Identifiers
  • Personal information
  • categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e))
  • Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law
  • Commercial information
  • Biometric information
  • Internet or other similar network activity
  • Geolocation data
  • Sensory data
  • Professional or employment-related information
  • Non-public education information (per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, 34 C.F.R. Part 99))
Our “sale” of information (including sale of information about consumers under the age of 13) consists of the disclosure of your information for targeted advertising purposes, and we aren’t paid by any third party for any data. The information that we may have “sold” (for purposes of the CCPA) in the past 12 months falls into the following personal information categories under the CCPA:
  • Identifiers
  • Commercial information
  • Internet or other similar network activity
As a California resident you can request certain information about what we have Processed over the past 12 months. Once we receive and verify your consumer request, we can provide:
  • The categories of personal information we collected about you.
  • The categories of sources for the personal information we collected about you.
  • Our business or commercial purpose for collecting that personal information.
  • The categories of Third Parties with whom we shared that personal information.
  • The specific pieces of personal information we collected about you.
  • Whether we disclosed your personal information for a business purpose and the personal information categories that each category of recipient obtained.
We will verify your identity by matching the information you provide with information that we maintain about you or via biometrics (specifically, FaceID via iOs). You also have the right to request that we correct personal information about you if it is found to be inaccurate. To make such a request, please send an email to _.
You can request that we delete your data as described in the Privacy Policy? Once your request is received and verified (by matching the information you provide with information that we maintain about you or via biometrics), we’ll move forward with the process of deleting your information in line with our legal requirements and retention policy. We will deny your request to delete your information if it’s necessary to:
  • Provide you services, take actions reasonably anticipated within the context of our ongoing business relationship, or otherwise perform our contract with you.
  • Detect security incidents, protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, or prosecute those responsible for such activities.
  • Debug products to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality.
  • Exercise free speech, ensure the right of another consumer to exercise their free speech rights, or exercise another right provided for by law.
  • Comply with applicable laws, including but not limited to, the California Electronic Communications
  • Privacy Act (Cal. Penal Code § 1546 seq.) and information covered by the California Confidentiality of
  • Medical Information Act.
  • Engage in public or peer-reviewed scientific, historical, or statistical research in the public interest that adheres to all other applicable ethics and privacy laws, when the information’s deletion may likely render impossible or seriously impair the research’s achievement, if you previously provided informed consent.
  • Make other internal and lawful uses of that information that are compatible with the context in which you provided it.
As noted above, you may opt out of the “sale” of personal information about you by withdrawing your consent to accept cookies used for advertising in accordance with the Privacy Policy. Our websites are also designed to implement a do-not-sell privacy preference requested via a global privacy control.
California’s Shine the Light Law:
Where applicable, California’s “Shine the Light” law (Civil Code Section § 1798.83) permits California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. We do not share Personal Information with third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes.
Privacy Questions And Contacting Us:
If you have any questions or concerns about our Privacy Policy or data processing, please contact us at
Contact Us:
Phone: _______
Email: info@shinetogether.com
Address:
FamilyCare Services, Inc.
dba Shine Together PO Box 2203
751 East Blithedale Ave
Mill Valley, CA. 94941
Changes To Our Privacy Policy:
We reserve the right to revise this Privacy Policy at any time. Please check back regularly to see if there have been any changes to this policy, which you can determine by reviewing the Effective Date listed below. By continuing to use the Website after those changes become effective, you consent and agree to be bound by the revised Privacy Policy.
Privacy Policy Effective Date:
This Privacy Policy is effective as of February 2023
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