Life

The Straits Times, Feb 9, 1996 By Claudette Peralta AS VALENTINE'S DAY nears, the government's match-making arms will reach out to lonely hearts through the newspaper. The Social Development Unit and the Social Development Section are joining hands to run a quarter-page advertisement for the first time to recruit new members. It will run in next week's Sunday Times, three days before Valentine's Day, to catch singles in a "contemplative mood," said the SDU's director, Mrs Susan Chan. Using the slogan: "Say I Do!", the advertisement will play on the marriage vow of "I Do" in hopes of getting singles to sign up. The rest of the text outlines how members can meet new friends through social activities and "how the right partner in life should be easier to find amidst the personal encounters that each activity presents". The advertisement will feature pictures of mountain climbing and other outdoor events. It also has a coupon for people to cut out and send in to join. As usual, the SDU will hold a buffet dinner on Valentine's Day this year for its members, but it has never before used it as an opportunity for a large recruitment drive. Traditionally, both organisations have recruited members through letters, flyers, seminars or orientation programmes. The groups are not concerned that resorting to a newspaper advertisement this time will make the organisations seem desperate for new members. Mrs Daisy Tam, a counsellor at SDU, said: "The basic message as far as SDU and SDS are concerned is to tell people to come join us and join us at an early age. We are sure there will be a group of people out there that we have not reached out to." Indeed, the two units have come a long way since they were formed in the '80s. The SDU has 17,800 members and attracts an average of 3,500 new graduate members every year. Furthermore, there are about 22 marriages between members each month. SDS, which caters to singles with diplomas or A, O or N levels and qualifications below these, has 93,000 members. About 500 new ones sign up every month. So far, about 51,000 SDS members have tied the knot. Despite the successes, both organisations felt that there was a need to raise awareness among more singles. "We are always trying out new ways of reaching out to the singles," said Mrs Lee Peng Hoon, head of SDS. Mrs Susan Chan, director of the SDU hoped the advertisement will nudge singles who have been hesitant about joining. She especially wants to target single overseas graduates who are unaware that they can join the SDU. She said the stigma of organised courtship and matchmaking is not as great as it once was. "We have really crossed the barrier where people felt embarrassed about joining the SDU," said Mrs Chan. Previous Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.