DISCLAIMER
In the statement below the “forms” being referred to are the Volunteer Sign-up and Request forms and can be found at:
These forms have been created to support people in need of community support and resources in response to COVID-19 and volunteers willing to respond to that need.
Your full responses will be visible to the group coordinators and we may add more coordinators if the need grows (as a group, that’s who we mean by “we” or “us”). Your responses will also be visible to interpreters or translators, if needed.
We’re not an officially incorporated organization, just neighbors hoping to help. We collect and store information that you provide to us through our website, email, text, Facebook Messenger, or phone calls in connection with the use of the services we provide as an organization. This includes name, contact information, language spoken, geographic location, payment information and description of your circumstance (i.e., financial situation). Your information is used to coordinate responses to community needs. To do that, we’ll need to share your information, including contact information, with the organizers and volunteers working with Malden Neighbors Helping Neighbors (“MNHN”). We may also share it with other people or organizations – the situation is changing and we need to be flexible to make this work (e.g., coordinating with or handing off support to other organizations such as Bread of Life or ABCD).
Because of these logistics, we can’t promise the information you share will be absolutely secure or protected – we use regular computers and online services to coordinate with our volunteers and those in need. We are not expected to be HIPAA compliant. We promise to be respectful of your information and use it with discretion, and we will never sell your data or information. Additional information may also be shared with various local and state agencies in compliance with local laws, ordinances, and programmatic requirements.
We assume and expect that everyone filling out the form or sharing information with us is doing this for themselves. If you’re filling out the form or sharing information for someone else, you have to be responsible for having whatever authority is needed to do so.
There are a few other things that are important for you to understand and agree with to make this work:
Information Provided by MNHN
We are not medical professionals or public health experts. The information we provide has been sourced from dependable places, such as the CDC and city and state websites, and where necessary restated in plain language we believe will be helpful. We assume no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents. Given the changing nature of regulations and guidance, there may be delays, omissions or inaccuracies in the information we present. If there is any conflict between information you get from us and a medical provider, believe the professional. (Also please let us know so we can correct it in the information we share!)
To Those Wanting to Help (Volunteers)
Your participation is at your own risk. What you do and how you do it has to be your choice. We cannot tell you what is or isn’t safe, so you are responsible for your participation and anything that happens as a result of your participation. Please follow all safety protocols suggested by official authorities (such as the CDC) while volunteering to reduce your risk.
When you share information with us or participate by helping, you are freely, voluntarily, and without duress agreeing with the following terms:
Waiver and Release. You hereby release and forever discharge and hold harmless MNHN and its successors and assigns from any and all liability, claims, and demands of whatever kind of nature, either in law or in equity, which arise or may hereafter arise from your participation. You understand that this release discharges MNHN from any liability or claim that you may have against MNHN with respect to any bodily injury, personal injury, illness, death or property damage that may result from your participation. You also understand that MNHN does not assume responsibility for or have any affirmative obligation to provide financial assistance or other assistance, including but not limited to medical, health or disability insurance. You acknowledge that there is no employment relationship between you and MNHN, and that you are not an employee of MNHN for purposes of any law or regulation including federal state wage and hour law, employee benefits laws or antidiscrimination laws. Volunteering with MNHN is at-will. You have the right to end your volunteer relationship with the organization, with or without advance notice for any reason, and MNHN has the same right.
Assumption of Risk. You hereby expressly and specifically assume the risk of injury or harm in these activities and releases MNHN from all liability for injury, illness, death or property damage resulting from the activities of your participation in MNHN.
Insurance. You understand that MNHN does not carry or maintain health, medical, or disability insurance coverage for any volunteers. Each of you are expected and encouraged to participate with medical and health insurance coverage in effect.
Confidentiality. You understand that some of your work may involve access to information/records that are considered confidential. You acknowledge your responsibility to respect the confidentiality of the participants and fellow volunteers. You further understand that if you found acting indiscreetly with confidential material or not protecting privacy of the participants or fellow volunteer, you will be dismissed from your assignment immediately. You understand this action to be necessary in order to maintain high professional standards of MNHN.
Photographic Release. You do hereby grant and convey unto MNHN all right, title, and interest in any and all photographic images and video or audio recordings made by MNHN during its programs and events including but not limited to any royalties, proceeds, or other benefits derived from such photographs or recordings.
Harassment. You are expected to conduct yourself in a professional and businesslike manner at all times. It is the policy of MNHN to expressly forbid any forms of harassment of volunteers and members. The term “harassment” may include, but is not limited to slurs, jokes, and other verbal, graphic or physical conducts which relate to an individual’s race, color, gender, religion, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, age or disability. Examples of conduct that may constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to explicit sexual propositions, sexual innuendoes, suggestive comments, sexually oriented kidding or teasing, telling sexually oriented jokes, making sexually offensive remarks or engaging in unwanted sexual teasing, making sexual advances, or engaging in unwelcome touching such as patting, hugging, pinching or brushing against another person. All MNHN volunteers are responsible for helping to ensure that MNHN is free from harassment. MNHN will not tolerate harassment of any of its volunteer or member by anyone, including any volunteer, staff vendor, or member. Failure to maintain harassment-free environment may result in termination of your relationship with MNHN or other corrective action.
Other. You expressly agree that this release is intended to be as broad and inclusive as permitted by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and that this release shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You agree that in the event that any clause or provision of this release shall be held to be invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such clause or provision shall not otherwise affect the remaining provisions of this release which shall continue to be enforceable.
To Those Asking for Help
We are working hard, but we cannot guarantee help or assistance to your requests, nor sufficiency of what we deliver to you. Volunteers are members of the community who have reached out to us and offered to help. We do not know them personally, do any kind of background checks on them, or put them through official training. Your participation is at your own risk.
When you receive any kind of payment from MNHN in relation to the services MNHN provides you, you are to verify your identification and background details. In the event the information you provided is false or incorrect, you are to repay MNHN what you have received and MNHN has the right to recoup what has been paid to you.
Social Media / Media Contact
While your free time is generally not subject to any restrictions by MNHN, we urge you not to post information regarding MNHN, its members or volunteers, or your participation at MNHN that could detrimentally affect MNHN’s image, business, or its members and volunteers. Please use good judgment and avoid using statements, photographs, video or audio that reasonably could be viewed as malicious, obscene, threatening or intimidating, that disparages MNHN’s volunteers, members, partners and affiliates, or that might constitute harassment or bullying.
All postings on social media on behalf of MNHN must be uploaded by MNHN personnel only. Unauthorized social media accounts of MNHN will be mandated to be deleted. Any media or legal inquiries that may come to you through a social media site, or via any other communication such as telephone call, regarding MNHN must be referred to us. Social media includes all forms of public, web-based communication and expression that bring people together by making it easy to publish content to many audiences. This can include, but is not limited to: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Wiki sites, blogging, IM’ing and email. Nothing in this media guideline is meant to impede or restrict any rights protected by state or federal laws.
If you have concerns about the above, please do not participate. There are other ways to help and to find help, and we’re happy to try to connect you with other organizations and resources. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at malden-community-support—covid-19@googlegroups.com.
We are doing the best we can, and there is a lot of need right now that can’t wait. An essential part of participating is that you understand and agree that we can help make connections, but you are participating at your own risk and we are not responsible for what any participant does or doesn’t do.
