Effective date: Aug 5, 2026

A Week Away Foundation (“A Week Away,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a nonprofit organization that coordinates and finances respite weeks for families battling a life-threatening illness. We respect the privacy of everyone who visits our website, supports our mission, or applies for a week away. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect at aweekaway.org (the “Site”), how we use it, and the choices you have.

Because the people we serve are often facing serious illness, we treat the information families and medical professionals share with us with particular care. Please read this policy so you understand our practices.

1. Information We Collect

Information you give us directly. We collect information you choose to provide, including when you:

• Sign up for our newsletter or email updates (your name and email address).
• Contact us through the Site, by email, or by phone.
• Apply for a respite week through the “Your Week Away” process, which may include your name, contact details, family information, and details about your or a loved one’s medical situation.
• Submit a referral through our medical professionals form, which may include patient and family contact information and health-related details.
• Make a donation, register for an event, or purchase merchandise.

Payment information. When you donate or pay for an event or merchandise, your payment is processed by a third-party provider [Stripe]. We do not collect or store full payment card numbers on our own systems. The processor handles that information under its own privacy and security terms.

Information collected automatically. When you visit the Site, we and our analytics and advertising partners automatically collect certain technical information, such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed, links clicked, and the dates and times of your visits. We collect this using cookies and similar technologies (see Section 3).

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Coordinate and provide respite weeks and respond to applications and referrals.
• Process donations, event registrations, and merchandise orders, and send receipts and acknowledgments.
• Send newsletters and updates about our mission, events, and milestones (you can unsubscribe at any time).
• Respond to your questions and communicate with you.
• Understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it.
• Promote our mission and events, including through social media advertising.
• Comply with legal obligations and protect the rights, safety, and property of A Week Away, our families, and others.

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies and similar technologies to function properly and to help us understand how it is used. These include:

• Google Analytics, which helps us measure Site traffic and usage. Google may use this data as described in its own privacy policy. You can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
• Meta (Facebook) Pixel, which helps us measure and target our advertising on Facebook and Instagram. You can manage ad preferences in your Facebook and Instagram account settings.

Most web browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through their settings. If you disable cookies, some parts of the Site may not work as intended. Our Site does not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals.

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in these limited ways:

• Service providers. We share information with trusted vendors who help us operate, such as our email/newsletter platform [Mailchimp], our donation and payment processor, our website host, and our analytics and advertising partners. They may use the information only to provide services to us.
• Partners in providing a respite week. With your permission, we may share necessary details with the vendors, lodging providers, or partners who help make a family’s week away possible.
• Legal and safety reasons. We may disclose information when required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of A Week Away, our families, or others.

5. Sensitive and Health-Related Information

Applications and medical referrals may include health-related details about serious illness. We collect this information only to evaluate and coordinate respite weeks, we limit access to staff and partners who need it, and we do not use it for advertising. A Week Away is not a healthcare provider and is not a “covered entity” under HIPAA, but we aim to handle this information with appropriate sensitivity.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect the information we collect. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please contact us right away if you believe your information has been compromised.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal information for as long as needed to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, including operating our programs, meeting legal and accounting requirements, and maintaining records of our work. When information is no longer needed, we take steps to delete or de-identify it.

8. Children’s Privacy

The Site is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without a parent or guardian’s involvement. Family information about children we serve is provided by their parents or caregivers. If you believe a child has provided us information without consent, please contact us and we will delete it.

9. Your Choices and Rights

You have choices about your information:

• Email: You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the link in any email, or by contacting us.
• Cookies and advertising: You can manage cookies through your browser and ad preferences through Google and Meta as described above.
• Access and deletion: You may ask us to access, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you, and we will honor reasonable requests. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under applicable privacy laws; contact us and we will do our best to accommodate you.

10. Links to Other Sites

Our Site links to third-party sites we do not control, including our merchandise store, sponsor websites, and our social media pages. This policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Effective date” above and post the updated version on this page. Significant changes may be communicated through the Site or by email.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us:

A Week Away Foundation

P.O. Box 10113, Lancaster, PA 17605

Email: info@aweekaway.org

Phone: (717) 925-0966