"JobQuest," the popular advice and information program for job seekers, has won the Laurence E. Richardson Community Service Award from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters (VAB).

The award, the third within a week for "JobQuest,"  was announced Jan. 20 during VAB's annual legislative reception in Richmond, Va. It recognizes WDBJ7 for its contributions to "JobQuest," which airs twice a month on Blue Ridge PBS. The public service program has delivered significant benefits to the community during the past year. WDBJ7 President and General Manager Jeffrey Marks said the station would share the award with Blue Ridge PBS.

"Giving back to the community is something that our radio and television stations do in their individual markets on a regular basis. The Laurence E. Richardson Award is the perfect way for the Association to annually recognize the one outstanding community service program or activity that really touched a particular community," said Doug Easter, VAB Executive Director. "We are thrilled that WDBJ7 and Blue Ridge PBS were able to join together to create and launch 'JobQuest' and that their program was a success for their region."

WDBJ7 and Blue Ridge PBS teamed up with other community partners in late 2008, when the economy took a downturn, to create an interactive program that would help people get back to work. "We were delighted to work with our public television partner to produce this series," said Marks. "In a time when job seekers have needed hope, 'JobQuest' has done a real public service connecting people to work opportunities."

James Baum, Blue Ridge PBS President and CEO, said "JobQuest" would not have been possible without the early and substantial involvement of WDBJ7 and other community partners. "WDBJ7 brought instant credibility and star power to the program," he explained. "They provided two very well recognized news anchors, Jean Jadhon and Keith Humphry, as hosts along with the time and talents of other news staff."

The VAB award trophy is presented in the name of Laurence E. Richardson, a past president of the Virginia Association of Broadcasters, who set an impressive example of community service for all broadcasters. In determining the winner, impartial judges use specific criteria, including supporting documents from local organizations. The judges this year were from the National Association of Broadcasters.

"JobQuest" wins two national awards

JobQuest," has also won two prestigious outreach awards from the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA). The awards, which were presented Jan. 14 during NETA's annual conference in Henderson, Nev., recognize "JobQuest" for community impact and effectively coordinating community resources.

"These awards would not have been possible without the enthusiastic participation of many community partners," said James Baum, Blue Ridge PBS President and CEO. "This is truly a statement about what can be accomplished through a collective commitment to public service."

"The bond we all shared was the desire to help the community in some way as the unemployment rates soared in our region," said Molly Bell, marketing manager for The Roanoke Times. "'JobQuest' evolved into an impressive and creative production, with interactive, multimedia resources for job seekers in a large and often under-served portion of Virginia."

Each "JobQuest" episode features 60 job listings from across the region, along with expert insights to shorten the job hunt. After a year of broadcasts and expanding online job hunting resources, "JobQuest" can measure its success in many ways, including some individual success stories.

           JobQuest community partners:

• The Roanoke Times/jobs.roanoke.com

• WDBJ 7

• Virginia Western & New River Community Colleges

• Roanoke's Economic Development Office

• The Roanoke Regional Office of the Virginia Employment Commission

• The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce

• Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc.

• National College

• Roanoke Valley Society for Human Resource Management

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