OLBS Singles: Who We Are

A Brief Discussion Of OLBS Singles

The OLBS Singles Group's motto is 'bringing together adult singles of diverse backgrounds through different social activities', and it has been doing so with great success for over 2 decades. The chosen method of bringing people together is social activities, as known by their more familar term 'events'. The Group sponsors events of all kinds - within the constraints of cost, location, and non-controversialness - as long as there are socializing aspects to them;.dinners are usually the most popular, but such activities as bowling, mini-golf, walks, etc. are also favorites. We maintain a list of general event suggestions for the purpose of encouraging members to sponsor new events.
As can be expected, over the years some event types have fallen out of favor, while new ones have come into play. The Group is always open to new event ideas, so as nobody becomes bored or tired of doing 'the same old thing'. Two long-standing events the Group is widely known for are it's Volleyball nights and its popular Annual Spring Dance.
The Group has expanded to include members from many areas, not just the parish, and also people of different creeds and faiths - the Group has become, and will remain, very inclusive. One minor interesting note about the group is its lack of a true hierarchy; while the parish provides a mentor for the Group, the Group itself selects a Coordinator (currently Raymond K.) and that's it - the organization is distributed, and so everything operates as a form of trustworthy-volunteerism where event sponsors (called Coordinators) call the shots at their events - this method works very well, and so the Group will continue to follow it for the forseeable future.

A Quick History Of OLBS Singles

The OLBS Singles Group was founded in the 1980s by Father Reugers and a young female parishioner to help foster socialization of single Catholics - the very first event was a wine & cheese party. As might be expected, over the decades the Group has expanded, and it's membership continually changes as new members come in and former members leave (often due to the members moving away, but there have been many marriages and long-term relationships between Group members - we wish them well).
OLBS Singles has emerged in good shape from what may be deemed an early 21st century 'singles group funk', which saw attendance and membership at most area singles groups drop dramatically - indeed a sizable number of groups simply folded. One of many reasons for the Group's survival is because the Group has a policy of eagerly experimenting with new event ideas, and over the years there have dozens of different event types occurring over hundreds of venues around the NYC/Long Island area - the Group has roughly sponsored over 2500 events (not including Volleyball games) over the past 2 decades, and we are continuing to go strong.

Where OLBS Singles Is Going (Direction And Future)

The Group always has a 'revolving door' attitude to membership - as mentioned above there have been numerous long term relationships and several marriages between members over the years, which is quite a measure of success in regards to the Group's mission. While at its heart there remains a core of dedicated volunteers who make up the Event Newsletter Planning Committee, the Group continues to reach out to new attendees, and make an effort to introduce them to the Group and it's member, with an eye to convincing them that they should become new members themselves. These new members often begin sponsoring their own events, which is yet another measure of Group success.
In the short term two major goals are a.) exploring alternate methods of distributing the Event Newsletter, to ensure a much wider distribution over a broader targeted population, and b.) investigating and exploiting alternate methods of advertising, as the print media the Group has made good use of so far becomes threatened by media fragmentation and alternate distribution channels.
One final direction that has been quite successful, and that we plan to continue and expand on, is co-sponsorship of events in conjunction with other area singles groups.

What We Are Like (Demographically)

As you might expect, our Group is composed predominately of Christian people - it after all operates under the aegis of Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament parish. There is no restriction on other religions, and certainly none in regard to race or ethnicity. However, it is left to the individual members/attendee to decide for themselves if they are comfortable with attending events of a given religious nature.
Our targeted age range is considered the forgotten middle, roughly 30 to 50 years of age, since there are numbers of young adults groups (teens and twenties), and a large number of senior groups, but few groups targeting that particular age range.
No restrictions are placed on income or occupation; note that many of our members are middle-class, often times professionals, and have varied education backgrounds. Regardless of their income, career, education, or what not, all share the same desire to socialize, mingle, experience new events, meet new people, and chat with old friends. As a practical note, due to geographic constraints, most members reside within Central/Eastern Queens and Western Nassau, although a few members are 'further flung'.

Some Odds And Ends

OLBS Singles Volleyball has quite a core of dedicated followers, and is also open to all interested persons. Indoor sessions are currently held every Tuesday night, starting at 9:00PM; outdoor sessions are usually held Sunday afternoons during the Spring, Summer, and Fall. For more info, the OLBS Volleyball website is Here. Note there is a fee of $2.00 person.
Please note that this website exists to provide information about the Group and it's rules and guidelines; suggestions and advice for Event Coordinators;, listings of important contacts; and addresses for venues. What you will not see on this site (with the exception of the Featured Event) is an event calendar/newsletter - the newsletter is available only to Group members (and a complimentary one is given to new attendees), as discussed Here.

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