On Thursday, January 14, The Sue Weaver C.A.U.S.E., Consumer Awareness of Unsafe Service Employment, hosted the second Dancing for C.A.U.S.E. pre-event at the Grotto Restaurant in Highland Village, sponsored by owner Morris Salerno. Mr. Salerno closed the elegant dining establishment for the evening in order to accommodate scores of residents, public officials and contestants for the event. The festivities included a short presentation by C.A.U.S.E. Founder Lucia Bone, a meet and greet of the teams of dancers for each city and a sumptuous buffet prepared by Master Chef Morris Salerno. On March 27, Lewisville Mayor Dean Ueckart, Highland Village Mayor Dianne Costa, and Flower Mound Mayor Jody Smith, along with their team of dancers, will compete in Dancing for C.A.U.S.E., a Gala Fundraiser that will be held at the Royal Affairs Ballroom in Lewisville.    

     You can support your favorite dancer or city by donating $1 per vote, the city with the most votes (donations) wins. Voting, tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities for Dancing for C.A.U.S.E. are available at sueweavercause.org or at 877-450-5812. Ms. Bone founded the non-profit group to spread awareness of the dangers of allowing service workers into the home without a background check. She founded C.A.U.S.E. after her sister, Sue Weaver, was raped and murdered in her home by a service worker who was a sex offender with two prior convictions. Bone said her sister’s murder could have been prevented if the company she hired had performed criminal background checks on their employees. Ms. Bone became aware of the fact that criminal background checks were not as thorough as you would think. This was the beginning of the Sue Weaver C.A.U.S.E. organization to educate the public about the dangers of letting service employees into your home without knowing if they had criminal histories.     

     “Through the process of developing C.A.U.S.E. Certification, C.A.U.S.E. reached out to the screening industry to help define a thorough background check,” said Bone.  Experts in the screening industry were asked what they would want the minimum screening criteria to be for anyone entering the home of their elderly mother, pregnant wife or physically challenged niece (the vulnerable populations).  The results of the survey became the minimum screening guidelines for C.A.U.S.E. Certification. Other efforts for the organization include Lucia Bone preparing draft legislation regarding C.A.U.S.E. certification per the request of Barry Brown, Chief of Staff to Congressman Michael Burgess, in the hopes it will be introduced in the House. James Christoferson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, has also requested a draft for potential Senate sponsorship of a companion bill. If you’re a fan of “Dancing with the Stars,” you’ll have a good time at the upcoming fundraising effort to highlight C.A.U.S.E. and educate the public.