Protecting the canvas of your personal information with care and integrity

At Hand-Drawn Hearts, we believe that trust is the primary canvas upon which every successful relationship is built. Just as we treat every hand-drawn stroke with precision and love, we treat your personal information with the highest level of respect and protection. We recognize that when you share your family’s details with us—whether through a registration form, a donation, or a collaborative community project—you are placing a significant amount of trust in our organization. This Privacy Policy is designed to be a transparent and comprehensive guide to how we collect, use, and safeguard your data, ensuring that your experience with our Seabrook studio remains safe, secure, and focused on creativity. We view privacy not as a legal burden, but as an essential component of the “care” that defines our mission, and we are dedicated to maintaining the confidentiality of the families who make our artistic journey possible.

In the digital age, we understand that privacy concerns are at the forefront of every parent’s mind. Hand-Drawn Hearts is committed to exceeding industry standards for data protection, particularly as it relates to the sensitive information of children and the creative intellectual property they produce within our walls. This policy outlines our internal protocols for data handling and our strict adherence to both state and federal privacy regulations. We want you to feel completely confident that your information is never viewed as a commodity to be sold or traded, but as a sacred trust that helps us provide a better, more personalized educational experience. By choosing to engage with our studio, you are joining a community that values your privacy as much as it values your creativity, and we are honored to be the stewards of your family’s information.

The Information We Collect and Why It Matters

Understanding the data that helps us nurture your child’s creative journey

The collection of information at Hand-Drawn Hearts is always purposeful and directly tied to our mission of providing high-quality art education and community support. When you enroll a child in our programs, we collect basic identifying information such as names, ages, and contact details, which are essential for our administrative records and for maintaining a safe environment. Beyond these basics, we may collect information regarding a child’s artistic interests, previous experience, and any specific developmental or sensory needs they may have. This allows our educators, such as Elena Rodriguez and Michael Chen, to tailor their instruction to the unique “heart story” of every student. We believe that by understanding the individual behind the art, we can provide a more meaningful and effective learning experience that truly captures the spirit of our organization.

In addition to student data, we also collect information from our donors, volunteers, and community partners. This includes mailing addresses, donation histories, and professional backgrounds for those looking to collaborate on public murals or workshops. This data is vital for our “Community & Engagement” efforts, allowing us to keep our supporters informed about the impact of their contributions and to invite them to exclusive events at our El Mar Lane studio. We also collect digital data through our website, such as IP addresses and browsing patterns, which helps us understand how our community interacts with our online presence. Every piece of data we collect is a tool that helps us build a stronger, more responsive organization, ensuring that Hand-Drawn Hearts remains a beacon of creativity for everyone in the Seabrook area and beyond.

Our Specialized Protection of Children’s Privacy

Safeguarding the youngest hearts in our creative community

Because Hand-Drawn Hearts primarily serves children, we have implemented an even more rigorous set of protocols to protect their privacy and online safety. We strictly adhere to the principles of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), ensuring that we never collect personal information from children under the age of thirteen without explicit and verifiable parental consent. Our registration process is designed to be handled exclusively by parents or legal guardians, and any data related to a child’s progress or artistic output is kept within a secure, encrypted system accessible only to authorized staff. We believe that a child’s creative space should be free from the intrusions of the digital world, and we work tirelessly to maintain a “privacy bubble” around our Little Hearts and Junior Illustrators.

We also take special care regarding the use of children’s images and artwork. We never publish a child’s photograph or their full name alongside their art on our website or social media without a signed media release from a parent. Even when permission is granted, we prioritize the child’s safety by using only first names or anonymous identifiers whenever possible. We understand that a child’s artwork is a deeply personal expression of their inner world, and we treat these creations with the same level of confidentiality as we do their medical or contact information. Our goal is to provide a sanctuary where children feel safe to explore their emotions through the tip of a pencil, knowing that their “heart stories” are protected by a team that truly cares about their well-being and their future.

How We Use Your Information to Advance Our Mission

Utilizing data to enhance education, communication, and community impact

The primary use of the information we collect is to facilitate the high-quality art programs and community services that Hand-Drawn Hearts is known for. We use your contact information to provide vital updates about class schedules, emergency closures, and upcoming studio events, ensuring that your family remains fully integrated into our creative community. For our students, we use their developmental and artistic data to track their progress through our curriculum, allowing our educators to provide the personalized feedback and “Master Class” opportunities that help them reach their full potential. This data-driven approach ensures that our programs remain effective and responsive to the evolving needs of our students, helping us to fulfill our mission of transforming lives through the power of hand-drawn art.

Furthermore, we use aggregated and anonymized data to measure the broader impact of our work on the Seabrook community. This information is essential for our grant writing and fundraising efforts, as it allows us to demonstrate to our supporters the tangible benefits of our art-based NGO work. For example, we might share that our programs have served a certain number of families or that our community murals have beautified a specific neighborhood, without ever compromising the privacy of an individual student or donor. This use of data helps us to secure the resources we need to keep our programs accessible and to expand our reach to underserved populations. We believe that by being smart and ethical with our data, we can make Hand-Drawn Hearts a more sustainable and impactful organization for generations to come.

Our Strict Protocols for Data Security and Retention

Maintaining the integrity of our digital and physical studio environment

Security at Hand-Drawn Hearts is a multi-layered commitment that spans both our physical studio on El Mar Lane and our digital infrastructure. Our online databases are protected by industry-leading encryption and firewall technologies, and we regularly conduct security audits to ensure that our systems remain resistant to unauthorized access. Access to sensitive information is strictly limited to authorized staff members who require that data to perform their roles, and all employees undergo training on our privacy protocols as part of their onboarding process. We believe that the security of your information is just as important as the safety of our physical facility, and we invest significant resources into maintaining a “fortress of privacy” for our families.

Regarding data retention, we maintain your information only for as long as it is necessary to provide our services or to fulfill our legal and historical obligations. We understand that for many families, the artwork and progress reports created at Hand-Drawn Hearts become cherished memories. Because of this, we offer families the option to keep their digital portfolios active even after they have completed their programs. However, should you choose to leave our community or request that your data be deleted, we have clear and efficient protocols in place to permanently remove your personal information from our active systems. We believe that you should always have control over your data, and we are committed to honoring your requests for deletion or modification with the same care and precision we apply to our art.

Third-Party Sharing and Financial Privacy

Ensuring that your data is only shared with trusted partners who share our values

Hand-Drawn Hearts has a strict policy against selling, renting, or trading your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We believe that your relationship with our organization is private and that your data should never be treated as a commodity. However, we do occasionally share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in our operations, such as payment processors for donations and tuition, email service providers for our newsletters, and cloud storage providers for our digital archives. These partners are carefully vetted to ensure that they maintain the same high standards for privacy and security that we do, and they are contractually prohibited from using your information for any purpose other than providing the specific services we have requested.

When it comes to financial privacy, we take extra precautions to protect your sensitive information. All online donations and tuition payments are processed through secure, PCI-compliant gateways that utilize the latest encryption technology. Hand-Drawn Hearts does not store your full credit card numbers or banking details on our internal servers; this information is handled exclusively by our professional financial partners. We also provide our donors with the option to remain anonymous in our public reports and recognition displays, respecting the desire for privacy that many of our supporters feel. We believe that financial integrity is a key component of our reputation as a trusted NGO, and we work tirelessly to ensure that your contributions are handled with the utmost security and transparency.

Artistic Intellectual Property and Usage Rights

Respecting the ownership and privacy of the stories told through art

At Hand-Drawn Hearts, we believe that the creator of a hand-drawn piece remains the ultimate owner of that “heart story.” While we often showcase student artwork in our studio gallery, on our website, and in our community murals, we do so only with the understanding that we are the temporary stewards of that creative expression. Our “Our Work” section highlights the incredible talent of our community, but every piece displayed is done so with the respect and privacy of the artist in mind. We never use a student’s work for commercial purposes or in our promotional materials without the explicit, written consent of the artist and, in the case of minors, their parent or guardian. We want our students to feel that their creative voice is their own and that their privacy is always respected as they share their visions with the world.

This respect for intellectual property also extends to the custom illustrations we create for our clients. When you commission a hand-drawn heart for a special occasion or a personal gift, the details of that commission are kept strictly confidential. We understand that these pieces often capture deeply personal emotions and memories, and we treat the process with the same level of privacy as we do our educational records. We will never share a custom illustration on our public platforms without your permission, ensuring that your personal gift remains a private treasure between you and your loved ones. We believe that by honoring the privacy of the artistic process, we create an environment where creativity can be truly authentic, vulnerable, and meaningful.

Your Rights to Access and Control Your Information

Empowering our families to manage their own creative and personal data

We believe that every member of the Hand-Drawn Hearts community should have full visibility and control over the information we hold about them. You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we have on file for your family, and we are committed to providing that information in a clear and accessible format. If you find that any of your information is inaccurate or incomplete, we encourage you to reach out to us so that we can make the necessary corrections immediately. Our “Contact Us” page provides multiple ways for you to get in touch with our team, and we treat every request for data access or modification with the same level of care and urgency that we apply to our class registrations.

In addition to the right of access, you also have the right to request the deletion of your personal information or to withdraw your consent for certain types of data processing at any time. For example, if you no longer wish to receive our community newsletter or if you want to remove your child’s artwork from our digital gallery, you can do so through a simple request to our administrative team. We believe that your participation in our creative community should always be on your own terms, and we are dedicated to honoring your privacy choices without question. By empowering our families to manage their own data, we build a foundation of mutual respect and trust that allows our organization to flourish as a truly community-centered sanctuary for the arts.

Cookies and Digital Tracking Technologies

Enhancing your online experience while respecting your digital boundaries

Our website uses cookies and similar digital tracking technologies to provide you with a more personalized and efficient online experience. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit our site, allowing us to remember your preferences, keep you logged into your account, and understand how you interact with our “Programs/Services” and “Our Story” sections. These technologies help us to identify which parts of our website are most valuable to our community, allowing us to continuously improve our online presence and better serve our families. We want your digital interaction with Hand-Drawn Hearts to be as smooth and inspiring as a visit to our physical studio, and cookies are one of the tools that help us achieve that goal.

However, we also respect your right to control your digital footprint. Most web browsers allow you to manage or disable cookies through their settings, and you are more than welcome to do so while browsing our site. Please be aware that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of our website, such as our online enrollment form or our student portal. We also utilize third-party analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to gather anonymized data about our website traffic. This information is used solely for the purpose of improving our services and does not allow us to identify individual visitors. We believe in transparency regarding our digital practices, and we invite you to reach out to us if you have any questions about how we use technology to support our mission.

International Users and Jurisdictional Compliance

Adhering to the highest standards of privacy across all borders

While Hand-Drawn Hearts is a community-focused NGO based in Seabrook, Texas, we recognize that our mission and our website may attract interest from individuals outside of the United States. We are committed to protecting the privacy of all our users, regardless of their geographic location, and we strive to adhere to the principles of international privacy frameworks, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union. If you are accessing our site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information will be transferred to and processed on our secure servers located within the U.S. By using our services, you consent to this transfer and processing of your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We also ensure that our data handling practices comply with the specific privacy laws of the State of Texas and the federal laws of the United States. We monitor the legal landscape closely to ensure that our policies remain up-to-date with the latest regulations, providing our families with the most current and comprehensive protections available. We believe that by maintaining a high standard of privacy that transcends borders and jurisdictions, we demonstrate our commitment to being a responsible and ethical global citizen. No matter where you are in the world, when you connect with Hand-Drawn Hearts, you can be sure that your privacy is being handled with the same level of love and care that we give to our local families on El Mar Lane.

Changes to This Privacy Policy and Community Notification

Keeping our families informed about our evolving privacy practices

As Hand-Drawn Hearts grows and our programs evolve, we may occasionally need to update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our data handling practices or new legal requirements. We view these updates not as a mere administrative task, but as an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to your family’s trust. When significant changes are made to this policy, we will provide prominent notification on our website and, whenever possible, send a direct communication to our enrolled families and active supporters. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information and to ensure that you remain comfortable with our practices as they grow alongside our organization.

Every update to this policy will be accompanied by a clear “Last Updated” date, and we will maintain an archive of previous versions for those who wish to review the history of our privacy commitments. We believe that transparency is the key to a healthy community, and we are dedicated to keeping you fully informed about every aspect of your relationship with Hand-Drawn Hearts. Your continued use of our services after a change to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms, and we thank you for your ongoing trust as we work to make our creative sanctuary even safer and more secure for everyone. We are honored to have you as part of our family, and we promise to always put your privacy at the heart of everything we do.

How to Contact Us Regarding Privacy Concerns

Your direct line to our dedicated privacy and data protection team

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the way Hand-Drawn Hearts handles your personal information, we invite you to reach out to us directly. We have a dedicated team member who serves as our Data Protection Officer, ensuring that every privacy inquiry is handled with the professionalism and sensitivity it deserves. You can contact us through our general inquiry email at info@hdhearts.site or by calling our studio at (123) 456-7890 during our regular business hours. We treat every privacy concern as a high-priority matter, and we are committed to providing you with a thorough and helpful response as quickly as possible.

You can also send written correspondence to our physical address at 1719 El Mar Lane, Seabrook, TX 77586. Whether you want to request access to your data, suggest an improvement to our privacy practices, or simply want to talk through how we protect your child’s information, we are here to listen. We believe that clear and open communication is the best way to maintain the trust that makes our organization possible, and we are always eager to engage with our families on the topics that matter most to them. Thank you for your support, your creativity, and for trusting Hand-Drawn Hearts with your family’s most precious stories. We look forward to continuing our artistic journey together in an environment of safety, respect, and profound creative joy.

Organization Name: Hand-Drawn Hearts Privacy Contact: Data Protection Officer Address: 1719 El Mar Lane, Seabrook, TX 77586 Email: info@hdhearts.site