Everyone is looking for quick and easy ways to save on products and services they want. And now, the Village Connector Community News has made it easy for you to do that when you visit the newspaper site for your community. The new Village Connector Daily Deal will feature a merchant in your community who is offering at least 50% off their regular rates, for the product or service.

Unlike some of the other group buying services you see the deal is available immediately and you buy directly from the merchant. We cut down on emails by posting the deals on the newspaper for your community. We offer the ability to see more deals since each community features it’s own deals in that community, instead of deals throughout a larger region. You can get any deal you like by simply visiting the newspaper for that community and checking out the Daily Deal there.

Be sure to check the Village Connector Daily Deal before you shop. We’ll save you money and keep your community growing.

Since its launch on April 26, 2010 the Village Connector Community News has grown to 6 editions, 5 in Maryland and 1 in Ohio.  During the month of November we will launch 2 more editions in Maryland, namely, Carroll and Calvert Counties.  We have further plans to bring the program to 6 more counties early in the first quarter of next year.  Those counties include, Frederick, Washington, Baltimore City, Harford, Somerset, and Charles.

Each of these counties will have it’s own edition of the newspaper along with all the programming and resources that come with it.  Those resources include our community savings program, our charitable giving program, and our small business support system designed to help local small businesses to grow and create jobs in the process.

The Village Connector Community News is proud to announce that Laura Shaposhnikova, a senior at Glenelg High School, has joined us as an intern for the rest of the school year.  Laura will be writing a column for the newspaper and following both the journalistic and business side of the newspaper.

Laura first contacted us through her faculty advisor, Mr. Charles Ashcroft, to determine the role she could play in an internship with us.  After meeting to discuss her goals we gladly brought her on board.

The Village Connector Community News welcomes other students who would like an opportunity to participate with us whether for credit or otherwise.  Please contact us today at 301-776-1490, ext. 1 for more information.

Local merchants in Howard County have launched a fundraising initiative that seeks to raise a minimum of $2.5 million dollars for local community organizations and charities.  The program is part of the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper, a new digital newspaper written by local volunteers in the community.

The fundraiser is part of a community savings program called “Consumers Win!”, which offers local consumers the opportunity to save money by shopping with participating merchants.  Consumers purchase an annual membership card for $20.00 and receive an average of 10% off when they shop with participating merchants.  Consumers then search an online directory to find participating merchants and get details about the deals they offer.  The typical consumer should save $300 to $500 per year depending on their spending habits.

Membership cards are donated by the participating merchants to local community organizations, including charities, sports teams, youth groups, parent-teacher organizations, and other similar groups.  These groups sell the membership cards at face value and keep 100% of the proceeds.  A listing of participating organizations will be posted on the front page of the Howard County edition of the newspaper.

In addition to the online directory, merchants display a special window decal so consumers know they can use their membership cards there.

“It was pretty exciting to create  a way to save merchants and consumers money, and to have local charities be the beneficiary of it all”, says Glenn K. Garnes, founder of the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper.  “Our local communities need a boost right now and we think this program is the solution”, he continued.  Garnes noted that the objective of the program is to encourage consumers to shop where they live and keep local economies thriving.

The program is also slated for launch in additional counties throughout Maryland and will eventually become nationwide.  Community organizations and merchants who wish to participate in the program can contact the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper at 301-776-1490, Ext. 101.

Following the successful launch of the Howard County edition of the Village Connector Community News the paper has opened operations in four additional counties.  The Village Connector Community News is now available in Baltimore, Prince George’s, Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties.  Preparations are currently underway to expand the program into 5 additional counties to be announced shortly.

The program features good news in the communities it serves seeking to bring neighbors together around topics people can enjoy sharing with each other and avoiding controversy and negativity.  The Village Connector also invites community members to volunteer to write for their communities or organizations with which they are affiliated.  School teachers and administrators are encouraged to contact us to find out how students can participate.

A new affiliate program also makes it possible for local community members to be rewarded when they refer businesses who advertise their businesses through the program.

For more information about the Village Connector Community News please contact us at 301-776-1490.

Monday, April 26, 2010 marks the official launch of the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper in Howard County, Maryland. The online newspaper has been under development for approximately 8 months, and recently went live on the Web as it was being tested and refined. It is now live for visitors to use.

“We are very proud to see this first edition get off the ground”, said Glenn K. Garnes, the newspaper’s founder. “A lot of very generous people have contributed to bringing this program to Howard County and we are thrilled to have them on board with us”, Garnes continued.

The newspaper has a special mission to unite communities and help them grow by harnessing the resources of multiple community stakeholders. Cumulatively, a combination of volunteer reporters and supporters, local merchant’s, charities and community organizations all contribute to creating an environment where both economic and human resources in the community end up working together to improve quality of life for all residents.

“We want to get communities talking and exploring ways neighbors can create resources voluntarily to make community life better for everyone”, Garnes explained. “Most communities have untapped resources simply because people are not coordinating with each other”, says Garnes. “The Village Connector is the solution to the problem of communication and awareness”, he added.

Garnes isn’t the only one excited about the prospects for the newspaper. Approximately twenty local merchants in Howard County all joined in to support the project during its development. “I thought this was an incredible way to give back to my community and grow my business too”, says Shari Sternberger, a local complimentary medicine practitioner. “I really liked the fact that by participating I’m be contributing to local charities to the tune of over $200,000, as the program gets started”, she added.

The newspaper has created a charitable giving program where local charities sell $20.00 membership cards, donated by participating merchants, to consumers who save an average of 10% off their shopping with local participating merchants. The charities keep the $20.oo, the consumers save money, and merchants get new customers in the process.

The newspaper will be launching in other local counties in the coming weeks and has plans to expand to all 24 counties in Maryland. For more information about the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper contact Glenn K. Garnes at 301-776-1490 or visit their website at http://www.villageconnector.com/howardcountymd.

Village Connector is an online newspaper the features the news that often gets cut from traditional newspapers and media, especially in the new digital world. Our goal with the Village Connector is to collaborate with community members to write the news ourselves instead of allowing the source of news to be consolidated into any single entity.

We also focus on the positive edifying things that are going on in our communities and limit exposure to contentious, controversial topics that divide communities. To the extent that we deal with difficult issues we do so in a way that is solution oriented without judgment or being opinionated, but rather presenting issues in a way that serves the community.

We hope you enjoy the refreshing environment we are creating, and hope you’ll join us in making this project truly serve our communities. Please watch the following videos for more detailed information about the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper:

Village Connector Overview:

Village Connector Tour:

Consumers Win! Tour:

Village Connector Charitable Giving:

Village Connector Charter Members: