This Privacy Policy explains how the riverside care camp operated by CARINGPLACE OF THE SHOALS handles personal information. The digital materials for this camp are prepared and maintained by the developer CaringPlace, which builds and supports the online presence of the organization described below. The organization is CARINGPLACE OF THE SHOALS, located at 216 Marengo St Ste I, Florence - 35630-6034, United States (US). The camp serves guests, volunteers, partners and neighbors in the Florence area, and this policy describes the practices that apply to the camp website, the camp desk, the supply ledger and every service crossing described on the services page.
1. Scope of This Policy
This policy applies to the website published for CARINGPLACE OF THE SHOALS and to the information handled by the camp desk, the shelter coordination rounds, the family outreach weeks, the meal service days, the wellness check sessions and the drive logistics evenings. It covers visitors who read the site, guests who come to the camp, volunteers who serve at the camp, drivers who join the logistics crew, and partners who refer people to the camp.
The policy does not govern the practices of independent shelters, clinics, schools or government agencies that may receive a referral from the camp. Those organizations maintain their own privacy notices, and guests should read them when a referral is made. When the camp shares information with a partner, the camp does so only to the extent described in this policy and only for the purpose that prompted the referral.
If a guest is receiving a service from a partner organization, that partner may ask for additional information that the camp does not hold. The camp cannot speak for that partner, and this policy should be read as covering only the camp itself and the staff, volunteers and systems that operate under the direction of CARINGPLACE OF THE SHOALS.
2. Who We Are
The data controller for the camp is CARINGPLACE OF THE SHOALS, a care organization operating from 216 Marengo St Ste I, Florence - 35630-6034, United States (US). The camp phone number is +18066399303 and the camp email address is contracts@wicpdays.org. Written correspondence may be sent to the street address above, and the desk answers messages during posted business hours from Monday to Friday.
The camp is operated as a community care effort focused on day program support, shelter coordination, family outreach, meal service, wellness checks and drive logistics. The person who leads the camp desk is responsible for the day to day handling of information and for answering questions about this policy. Where this policy refers to the camp, it means the staff, volunteers and coordinators of CARINGPLACE OF THE SHOALS acting within their assigned roles.
Questions about who holds a particular record, how long it is kept, or whether it has been shared should be directed to the contact details above. The camp prefers a direct question to a guess, and the desk will confirm in writing what it holds when a request is made in a form the camp can verify.
3. Information We Collect
The camp collects information that is necessary to run its service crossings. This includes contact details such as a name, a phone number, an email address and a mailing address when one is offered. It includes the basics of a request, such as the kind of help a guest is seeking, the day it is needed and any practical constraints that affect the answer.
For shelter coordination the camp may record household size, accessibility needs, the type of space required and the outcome of a placement. For family outreach the camp may record the preferred times for a visit and the general topics discussed, written in plain language by the outreach worker. For meal service the camp may record dietary restrictions and allergy notes so that food can be served safely. For wellness checks the camp may record the readings taken by the nurse along with the guest response and any referral that followed. For drive logistics the camp records pickup details, appointment times and route notes.
The camp also collects the information that volunteers provide when they apply to serve, including their availability, their skills and the references they choose to offer. Drivers provide the licensing and record details that are required before a route can be assigned. Partners provide the name of a contact person and the type of need that a referral is intended to address.
Information that a person chooses to write in a free text field, such as the message field on the contact form, is stored as written. Guests should share only what they are comfortable putting into a camp record, and the desk is trained to stop a conversation before it reaches details that are not needed for the request at hand.
4. Sensitive Information
Some requests involve information that deserves extra care, such as health conditions, medication details, disability accommodations, housing instability and family circumstances. The camp collects this information only when a guest offers it or when it is required to complete a service that the guest has requested. The camp does not ask for sensitive details as a condition of receiving a meal, a ride or a place at the table.
Wellness records are kept apart from the general desk ledger. They are reviewed only by the nurse, the community health worker and the camp lead, and they are shared with a clinic only when the guest agrees to that referral. Any guest may decline to have a reading taken or a note written and remain fully welcome at every other crossing of the camp.
The camp does not collect government identification numbers for routine services and does not photograph documents unless a guest asks the camp to help with a form that requires an image. When a document is photographed for that purpose, the image is stored in the same protected manner as the rest of the camp records and is deleted once the form is complete and the guest has confirmed the result.
5. How Information Is Collected
The camp collects information directly from people in several ordinary ways. A guest may speak with a desk host, fill in a contact form on the website, call the camp phone number or send an email to the camp address. A volunteer may complete an application, attend a briefing and sign a shift note. A partner may send a referral by email or pass a note to a coordinator during the shelter rounds.
Some information is collected automatically when a person visits the website. The web server records the type of browser in use, the general region from which a request was made and the pages that were viewed, so that the camp can understand which parts of the site are useful and which are not. These records are kept in a form that does not identify a person by name, and they are not used to build a profile of any guest.
When a guest uses the contact form, the form prepares a message that is sent through the email program of the guest to contracts@wicpdays.org. The camp receives that message like any other email, and the guest retains a copy in the sent folder of the program. The camp does not silently submit form entries to a third party service, and the page explains to the guest when the mail program is about to open.
6. Why We Use Information
The camp uses information to answer requests, arrange shelter placements, plan household visits, prepare meals safely, conduct wellness checks, map rides and keep the supply raft stocked. Each of these uses follows directly from the service that a person has asked for, and the camp does not repurpose a record for an unrelated aim.
The camp also uses information to keep its own operation honest. This includes reviewing the ledger for patterns of unmet need, planning the weekly crew schedule, confirming that a driver is eligible for a route and checking that a referral was closed with a proper note. These activities are performed by the camp lead and the coordinators, and they are limited to the records required for the task.
From time to time the camp may use aggregate information to describe its work to funders, partners and the public. Aggregate information is combined in a way that removes names, addresses and any detail that could identify a person. The camp does not publish a story about a guest without the explicit written consent of that guest, and consent may be withdrawn before publication.
7. Legal Basis for Processing
The camp processes information in the United States and is guided by the principles of fairness, transparency and data minimization. In practice this means the camp collects the least information needed for a service, explains why a record is being made, and honors a request to stop or correct it whenever the camp can do so without harming another person.
Where a service is requested by a guest, the information is used to deliver that service and to follow up on it. Where the camp is required to keep a record for food safety, driver eligibility or program reporting, the record is kept for that purpose and for the period described later in this policy. Where a partner refers a person, the information is used to confirm the referral and to return a result to the partner.
The camp relies on the choice of the guest whenever the guest is asked for information that is not strictly required. A guest may refuse that request and still receive the core crossing that brought them to the camp. Consent to share a story or a photograph is separate from consent to receive a service, and the desk will explain the difference before asking for either.
10. Referrals and Shelter Rounds
Shelter coordination depends on accurate matching, so the rounds record the spaces that are genuinely available and the conditions attached to each. A coordinator may share a household size and an accessibility need with a shelter manager in order to find a fitting place. The coordinator does not share a guest history, a health record or a family story as part of that match.
When a bed is confirmed, the guest receives a short card with the address, the contact name and any rule that applies at the door. The shelter receives only what it needs to prepare: an expected arrival, a household count and a note about accessibility. If the placement fails, the coordinator records the reason in the camp ledger and discusses it with the guest before approaching another shelter.
Family outreach visits are booked by phone and confirmed on the morning of the visit. The outreach worker explains at the start of the visit which notes will be written and who will read them. A household may ask that certain topics remain off the record, and the worker will honor that request by writing only the practical outcome that the desk needs in order to follow up.
11. Service Providers
The camp relies on a small number of service providers for email, web hosting and accounting. These providers receive information only to the extent necessary to perform their function. The email provider transmits camp messages; the hosting provider serves the website and records standard server logs; the accountant reviews summary figures that the camp prepares for its own books.
Each provider is expected to keep camp information confidential and to use it only for the service it provides. The camp does not grant a provider the right to use guest data for its own advertising or product development. Where a provider processes information outside the United States, the camp takes reasonable steps to confirm that the transfer is protected by a contract with appropriate safeguards.
A guest with a question about a particular provider may ask the desk. The camp will name the provider and describe the function it performs, so that the guest can decide whether to raise an objection. If a guest prefers that no information be processed by a given provider, the camp will arrange an alternative where one is available.
12. Retention of Records
The camp keeps the desk ledger for the current program year and the two preceding years so that a returning guest can be met without starting over. After that period, pages are reviewed and any record that is no longer needed for a service, a report or a legal duty is destroyed. The review is performed by the camp lead and recorded in a short disposal note.
Meal service temperatures, allergy lists and food safety checks are kept for one year, because that is the period in which a kitchen record may be needed to answer a question about a served meal. Wellness readings are kept for as long as the guest continues to attend the camp and for one year after the last session, so that a change over time can be understood by the nurse who next sees the guest.
Volunteer applications and driver eligibility records are kept while the person serves and for one year after the last shift. Financial summaries and receipts are kept for the period required by the accountant and by applicable tax rules. When a record is destroyed, the camp removes the paper copy, deletes the electronic copy and notes the date and the category in the disposal register.
13. Security of Information
The camp keeps paper records in a locked cabinet at the camp office and limits the key to the camp lead and the senior coordinator. Electronic records are held in accounts protected by strong passwords and a second verification step where the provider supports it. Devices that connect to camp accounts are kept updated and are signed out when a volunteer leaves the crew.
The shed where meal service and wellness sessions take place is closed and latched outside of service hours. Notes taken during rounds are carried in a closed folder and handed to the desk on return. The camp does not leave a ledger open on a table, and the crew is briefed on this habit before the first shift.
No system is perfect, and the camp will not pretend otherwise. If a loss or unauthorized access is discovered, the camp will act quickly to contain it, notify the people affected when the law requires and when the camp judges that a notice is the right thing to do, and record what happened and what was changed. Questions about security may be sent to contracts@wicpdays.org or raised by phone at +18066399303.
14. Privacy for Children
The camp serves households with children, and the privacy of a child is treated with particular care. Information about a minor is collected only from a parent, a guardian or a person acting with the knowledge of a guardian, and only when a service such as a meal, a ride or a school related referral requires it. The camp does not ask a child for contact details, photographs or personal stories.
A child may attend a meal service or a family visit without being written into the ledger beyond a household count. When a wellness session involves a minor, the nurse speaks with the guardian first and records only the outcome that the guardian has agreed to share. An image of a child is never published on the camp website without the written consent of a guardian, and that consent can be withdrawn at any time.
A parent or guardian who believes that information about a child has been collected in error may contact the camp at contracts@wicpdays.org. The camp will review the record, remove what should not be held and confirm the result in writing. The camp does not knowingly collect information from a child through the website, and any message that appears to come from a child is handled by a desk host who is trained to respond with care.
15. Your Rights and Choices
A person may ask the camp what information it holds, how it was obtained and which partners, if any, have received a copy. A person may ask the camp to correct a record that is wrong, to add a note that explains a dispute, or to stop using a record for a purpose that was not part of the original request. These choices apply to guests, volunteers, drivers and partners alike.
A person may also ask the camp to stop sending routine email or to call at a particular time. The camp will honor a request to change the channel or the hours where it can do so, and will explain any limitation that applies, such as a safety notice that must be delivered regardless of preference. A request to delete a record is honored unless the camp is required to keep it for food safety, driver eligibility, financial reporting or a legal duty.
The camp does not make a person pay a fee to exercise a privacy right. The camp does not treat a privacy request as a reason to refuse a meal, a ride, a wellness check or a place on a family visit. If a request is complex, the desk will explain the steps, give a reasonable date for the answer and keep the person informed if that date must move.
16. Access and Correction
To make an access request, a person may write to contracts@wicpdays.org with the subject line Privacy Request, or call the camp at +18066399303 during business hours. The desk may ask for enough information to confirm identity, such as the name used at the camp and a phone number already on file. The camp will not ask for a government identification number as a condition of an access request.
Once identity is confirmed, the camp will prepare a summary of the records it holds and send it by a method the person chooses where that method is secure. A guest who prefers to read the records at the camp office may arrange a visit with the camp lead. Paper records are reviewed in the presence of a camp member, and no record leaves the office unless the person asks for a copy and the copy is safe to release.
A correction request is reviewed by the camp lead and the person who wrote the original note. If the correction is accepted, the record is amended with the date and the reason. If the correction is not accepted, the camp explains why and adds the person explanation to the record so that the disagreement is visible to the next reader. Either way, the person receives a written answer within thirty days of a complete request.
17. Email and Phone Communication
When a guest writes to contracts@wicpdays.org or calls +18066399303, the camp uses the reply details only to answer the question and to follow up on the service discussed. The camp does not add a person to a general mailing list without a clear request. If the camp sends a program update, the message includes a way to stop future updates, and a request to stop is applied to the next mailing.
The camp may leave a voicemail or send a short text when a ride is confirmed or a visit is rescheduled. These messages are kept brief and do not include health details or family information. A person may ask that the camp use a different number, call at a different time or leave no voicemail at all, and the desk will record that preference at the top of the contact page.
Email is convenient but it is not as private as a conversation at the desk. Guests should avoid sending health records, identification images or other sensitive material by ordinary email unless the desk asks for it and explains a safer route. When a sensitive document is needed, the camp prefers that the guest bring it in person or use a method that the camp has agreed in advance.
18. Volunteer and Driver Records
Volunteers provide a name, contact details, availability and any skills they wish to offer. The camp uses these details to build the shift schedule, to match a volunteer to a crossing and to send a briefing note before the first shift. References are contacted only with the permission of the volunteer, and the note from a reference is kept with the application for as long as the application is held.
Drivers provide the licensing and record details needed before a route is assigned. Because a ride carries real responsibility, the camp keeps these records current and reviews them on a fixed schedule. A driver record is shared only with the coordinator who assigns routes and, where a law requires it, with the authority that requested it. It is not shared with other volunteers or with guests.
A volunteer may ask to see the notes held about them, to correct an error and to withdraw from the crew at any time. On leaving, the volunteer returns any camp key, folder or device, and the camp removes the person from the active schedule while keeping the record for the retention period described above. A volunteer who has a concern about the handling of a record may raise it with the camp lead or write to contracts@wicpdays.org.
19. Analytics and Server Logs
The camp website does not run advertising analytics and does not embed social media pixels. The hosting provider may record standard server logs that include the date and time of a request, the page requested, the type of browser and a general location derived from the network address. These logs are used to keep the site working, to detect abuse and to understand which pages are visited most often.
Log records are kept for a short period set by the hosting provider and are reviewed only when there is a reason, such as an outage or a security concern. The camp does not attempt to link a log record to a named guest and does not combine log data with the camp ledger. A person who prefers not to be counted in any log may write or call the camp instead of using the website.
If the camp adds a measurement tool in the future, the tool will be described in this policy before it is enabled, and the camp will prefer a setting that avoids cookies and personal identifiers. The principle is simple: the camp measures the performance of its own pages, not the lives of the people who use them.
20. Third Party Links
The camp website may link to a clinic, a shelter, a school or a public agency when a link is useful to a guest. Once a person leaves the camp pages, the practices of the linked organization apply. The camp cannot control how a partner handles information and encourages guests to read the privacy notice of any site they visit.
A link on the camp site is not an endorsement of every practice of the linked organization. The camp checks a link before adding it and reviews the list from time to time, but a partner may change its own policy without telling the camp. If a guest believes that a linked site is unsafe or misleading, the camp welcomes a note at contracts@wicpdays.org and will review the link.
The camp does not accept payment for a link and does not place advertising on its pages. Any future change to that practice would be described in this policy and in the terms of service before the change took effect. Until then, a link is offered only because it helps a guest find the next door.
21. Changes to This Policy
The camp reviews this policy every year and whenever a service changes enough to affect the handling of information. When a change is made, the effective date at the top of the page is updated and a short note describes what changed. A change that expands the use of personal information is announced before it takes effect, and a guest may object before the new practice begins.
A person who has given consent to a specific use may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not undo something that was already done lawfully, but it stops future use for that purpose. The desk records the withdrawal in the ledger so that the next shift does not accidentally resume a use the person has refused.
The current version of this policy is always the one published at this address. Printed copies are available at the camp office on request. If a question about a change is not answered here, the camp will answer it directly by email or by phone, and the answer will be added to the policy when it applies to everyone.
22. How to Contact the Camp
Questions, requests and concerns about privacy may be sent to CARINGPLACE OF THE SHOALS at 216 Marengo St Ste I, Florence - 35630-6034, United States (US). The camp email address is contracts@wicpdays.org and the camp phone number is +18066399303. The desk answers messages during business hours from Monday to Friday and aims to reply within one business day.
A person who is not satisfied with the answer may ask for the matter to be reviewed by the camp lead. The review request should describe the record involved, the outcome that is sought and any deadline that applies. The camp lead will confirm receipt, gather the relevant notes and send a written answer within thirty days, or explain why more time is needed.
This policy is provided in English and is governed by the practices of the camp as operated in the United States. It should be read together with the terms of service, which describe the conditions under which the camp website and the camp services are offered. The camp thanks every guest, volunteer and partner who takes the time to read this page, because privacy is kept by ordinary attention as much as by rule.