Terms of service

Village, Inc. — A Florida Benefit Corporation

1. Agreement to terms

By accessing or using the Village mobile application, website, or any related services (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

Village, Inc. ("Village," "we," "us," or "our") is a Florida Benefit Corporation. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Village.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use Village. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

3. Account registration

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account. You agree to:

Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
Maintain and update your information to keep it accurate
Maintain the security of your password and account
Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account
Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account

You may not create more than one account, use another person's account, or share your account credentials.

4. What Village is (and is not)

Village is a community platform for social connection. It helps people find companionship, belonging, and chosen family in their local area.

Village is NOT:

A dating or romantic matchmaking service
A mental health treatment or therapy service
A crisis intervention or suicide prevention service
A medical or healthcare provider
A marketplace for goods or services
A substitute for professional help of any kind

Village does not provide medical advice, mental health treatment, or emergency services.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

5. Community guidelines

All members must follow our community guidelines, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference. Violations may result in warnings, suspension, or permanent removal from the Service.

Key principles include:

Treat all members with kindness, dignity, and respect
Do not harass, bully, threaten, or intimidate other members
Do not use Village for romantic or sexual solicitation
Do not solicit money, promote businesses, or sell products or services
Do not share other members' private information without consent
Do not create fake profiles or misrepresent your identity
Do not use Village to recruit for religious, political, or commercial purposes
Report any behavior that violates these guidelines or makes you feel unsafe

We reserve the right to remove any content and terminate any account that violates these Terms or Community Guidelines, at our sole discretion, without prior notice.

6. User content

You are responsible for all content you post, share, or transmit through the Service ("User Content"), including messages, recipes, profile information, and photos.

By posting User Content, you grant Village a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, and display your User Content in connection with operating and improving the Service. This license ends when you delete your User Content or your account, except where your content has been shared with others and they have not deleted it.

You represent and warrant that:

You own or have the right to share your User Content
Your User Content does not violate any law or the rights of any third party
Your User Content does not contain malicious code, spam, or harmful material

We do not claim ownership of your User Content. You retain all rights in your content.

7. Send a coffee and transactions

Send a Coffee allows members to send virtual gestures of kindness to other members. Village credits used in Send a Coffee:

Are symbolic gestures of warmth
Cannot be withdrawn as cash or transferred between accounts
Can only be used within the Village app
Are non-refundable once sent

Payment processing for Send a Coffee is handled by Stripe, Inc. By making a transaction, you also agree to Stripe's terms of service. Village does not store credit card numbers or financial account information.

If anyone outside the app asks you for money, gift cards, or financial information, do not comply and report them immediately. Village will never ask you to send money outside the app.

8. In-person meetings and safety

Village facilitates connections that may lead to in-person meetings (such as Seat at My Table gatherings or local events). You acknowledge and agree that:

Village does not conduct criminal background checks on members
Village does not verify the character, intentions, or trustworthiness of any member
You are solely responsible for your safety when meeting other members in person
You should exercise caution, meet in public places, inform someone you trust of your plans, and trust your instincts

Village is not responsible for the actions, behavior, or conduct of any member, whether online or offline.

9. Intellectual property

The Service and its original content (excluding User Content), features, and functionality are owned by Village, Inc. and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

"Village," "Birthday Rescue," "Send a Coffee," "Seat at My Table," "Nana's Kitchen," "Life Chapters," the Village logo, and the Village tagline "Nobody should have to do life alone" are trademarks or pending trademarks of Village, Inc. You may not use these marks without our prior written permission.

10. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to:

Use the Service for any unlawful purpose
Harass, abuse, stalk, threaten, or intimidate any member
Use the Service for romantic or sexual solicitation
Impersonate another person or entity
Post false, misleading, or deceptive content
Solicit money from other members
Use automated systems (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access the Service
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or other accounts
Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure
Use the Service to distribute spam, malware, or harmful content
Collect or harvest other members' personal information
Use the Service for commercial purposes without our written consent

11. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Reasons for termination include but are not limited to:

Violation of these Terms or Community Guidelines
Conduct that is harmful to other members or the community
Fraudulent or illegal activity
Extended inactivity
Request by you to delete your account

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including limitations of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution) will survive.

12. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

VILLAGE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT:

THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE
THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE SERVICE WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE
ANY CONNECTIONS MADE THROUGH THE SERVICE WILL BE SAFE, POSITIVE, OR SUCCESSFUL
THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS

VILLAGE IS NOT A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER AND DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR THERAPEUTIC SERVICES. THE SERVICE IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT.

13. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, VILLAGE, INC., ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL VILLAGE'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE AMOUNTS YOU HAVE PAID TO VILLAGE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR FIFTY DOLLARS ($50), WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

THIS LIMITATION APPLIES TO ALL CLAIMS, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT VILLAGE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Village, Inc., its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to:

Your use of the Service
Your User Content
Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of any law or the rights of any third party
Your interactions with other members, whether online or offline

15. Dispute resolution

Any dispute arising from these Terms or the Service shall be resolved through binding arbitration in Hillsborough County, Florida, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. You agree to waive any right to a jury trial and to participate in a class action lawsuit.

This arbitration agreement does not prevent you from bringing issues to the attention of federal, state, or local government agencies, who may seek relief on your behalf.

16. Governing law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions.

17. Changes to terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Terms on our website or within the app and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

19. Entire agreement

These Terms, together with our privacy policy and community guidelines, constitute the entire agreement between you and Village regarding the Service.

20. Contact us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:

Village, Inc.
Zoe Soppeland, Founder
Email: hello@village.app
Phone: 661-341-7688
Tampa, Florida