BROWNSBURG — Dillon Welch might be 18 and on the brink of fame, but he still understands the trials and tribulations of being a young teen trying to find his way.

With that in mind, he and his race team have made the commitment to combat abuse, focusing particularly on teens and bullying. They used that as a theme for their open house where Welch donated more than $3,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Indiana Chapter.

On a night centered around giving back, Welch provided a glimpse of someone wise beyond his years regarding bullying and abuse, which he says have touched him personally since researching the cause, prompting the Racing for Wings program.

“The more I’m learning about it, the more passionate I’m becoming about it,” said Welch, a Carmel High School senior. “The numbers are staggering, so we’re honored to have this partnership with

Sheltering Wings to raise awareness to the signs of bullying and abusive relationships, and ultimately save lives. It’s a terrible thing that puts people on the verge of suicide sometimes, so our goal is just to raise awareness for children and adults to the reality of abuse.”

Some of the staggering numbers Welch speaks of are the reality that 72 percent of eighth- and ninth-graders date, and one in four report verbal, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse from a dating

partner. In addition, 23 percent of elementary school students and 15 percent of high school students report being bullied one to three times in the last month, according to Sheltering Wings research.

Welch came full circle to realize how much this meant to him when he spent time at the Sheltering Wings facility. Sheltering Wings is a facility that provides housing, counseling, and more to women

escaping from domestic violence and their dependent children.

“I met Dillon a couple years ago when he came to our shelter and hung out with our kids and just really had a good time,” said Maria Larrison, CEO of Sheltering Wings. “One thing we talked about was how we could work together to use racing as a tool to educate teen-agers about teen dating violence. The shelter is full because for these women and even boys, no one told them about teen dating violence. We hope we can get out in the communities and the schools, talking about the subject so these teen-agers don’t become residents of our shelter or other shelters around the

country.”

Sheltering Wings reports that boys who grow up in homes where domestic violence is occurring are 100 times more likely to become abusers than their counterparts in violence-free homes.

Welch, who competes in the USAC National Midget Series, knows that his forum as a race car driver gives him the opportunity to give back to the community in ways that most people his age cannot, and

he wants to use that ability to the fullest. He credits his parents with giving him the encouragement to use his gifts for positive causes.

“We hope to be traveling a lot this summer, so we hope to take this program to different counties, states, and educate people about what abuse is classified as and what falls into that category,” Welch said. “Maria was telling my dad and I a story about a kid they have at the shelter, he’s only 4-years-old, but he’s disrespectful to kids there, to women there, and like I said, he’s only 4. So we want to try to stop this cycle of kids who’ve seen nothing other than abuse. He’s only 4 and all he’s seen probably is abuse, so we need to stop this cycle so when he’s 14 or 24 he doesn’t become the abuser.

“If we can go to schools and events and raise awareness and educate about what abuse is, if you’re an abuser or being abused, that’s mission accomplished. We want to educate as many people

as we can.”

The Racing for Wings program puts many sources in the crosshairs, including the aforementioned issue of bullying, which Welch says has opened his eyes and helped him understand how to be respectful of others as he grows. Statistics have shown that bullying is a gateway that leads into dating abuse. Welch says that something every young person should do is simply treat others as

they would want to be treated.

“It’s had a big impact on me,” he said of the bullying statistics and what he’s learned. “I’ve always tried to treat others the way I want to be treated, and you don’t always realize what classifies or falls

under the category of being a bully, especially in today’s day and age with social media. Cyber-bullying is a big deal, and it has an impact on people in ways you don’t realize when you do that. It made an impact on me and made me look at things differently, even though I’ve always tried to not be that person. It still changed my outlook.”

In addition to the open house being about unveiling the Racing for Wings program, Welch used it as an opportunity to be philanthropic to the Alzheimer’s Association as well, presenting Leslie Bush of the organization with a check, proceeds from the Bowling with the Stars fundraiser.

“Bowling with the Stars was such a great time,” Bush said. “I thank Dillon for being so philanthropic. It’s great that this young of a generation and demographic gets involved with the Alzheimer’s

Association, especially with the Baby Boomers getting older and everyone getting diagnosed sooner and sooner. It’s getting so scary, and this donation will go to our services and programs. There are

over 120,000 people with Alzheimer’s in Indiana alone.”

Welch said he plans to take his message to students and families locally.

He also used the event to allow people an inside look at the 9 Racing facility.

Information regarding Welch may be found on his website at dillonwelch.com. Information about the Racing for Wings program and others that Sheltering Wings offers may be found online at shelteringwings.org.