BY KATE POSS
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
August 31, 2017

There are lots of nonprofits competing for donations on Whidbey Island, but only Friends of Friends raises funds by crowning someone “Mr. South Whidbey.” At the annual pageant, fashion and talent might be entertaining, but it’s the man who raises the most money for Friends of Friends who wins.

The organization supports South Whidbey residents who have medically-related expenses they can’t afford to pay. This year, retired cardiologist David Welton is in the running. Welton has lived on Whidbey for 12 years, and you may know him as the talented and prolific photographer who has taken many photos for Whidbey Life Magazine.

Welton serves his community by taking photos and donating them to organizations such as the Whidbey Island Garden Tour, Clinton and Langley chambers of commerce, the South Whidbey Parks and Aquatics Foundation, Whidbey Island Nourishes, Hearts and Hammers, Goosefoot, and others. Organizations use the photos for promotion on their websites and in printed publications.

David Welton has stars in his eyes when he thinks about running for Mr. South Whidbey. (Photo by David Welton)

“Photography is the way I’ve chosen to give back,” Welton says. “I was pleased to be asked to run for Mr. South Whidbey and look forward to my continued involvement with the community for as long as I’m able.”

There are four ways to donate to Friends of Friends and cast votes for David Welton. Every dollar donated brings Welton one step closer to being crowned Mr. South Whidbey:

• Have Welton take your photo. He will donate all proceeds from family portrait and event sessions, taken between now and October 7, to Friends of Friends. To book a photo session, call him at 360.579.1030.
• Donate online by entering the amount of your donation under David Welton’s name here.
• Make out a check to Friends of Friends Support Fund. Be sure to write “David Welton” in the memo field, and mail it to Friends of Friends, P.O. Box 812, Langley, WA, 98260.
• Attend the October 7 Mr. South Whidbey Pageant at 7 p.m. at Freeland Hall and cast your vote for Welton in person. (Event tickets are $30.)

Welton is running along with Brook Willeford, Victor Ramos, Rod Stewart, Daniel Goldsmith, and Anthony Molinero. Regardless of whom you “vote” for with your dollars, you can take pleasure in knowing that your donation will help a neighbor in need pay for medical costs.

Kate Poss worked as a library assistant at the Langley and Coupeville libraries before retiring last year. She worked for three summers as a chef aboard a small Alaskan tour boat from 2008 to 2010. Poss was a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles for many years before moving to Whidbey Island where she likes cooking for new and old friends, hiking, reading great fiction, and writing her second novel with friend Fred Bixby.

David Welton is a retired physician who has been a staff photographer for Whidbey Life Magazine since its early days. His work has also appeared in museums, art galleries, newspapers, regional and national magazines, books, nonprofit publicity, and on the back of the Whidbey Sea-Tac Shuttle!

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