Board Members
Mark Mekota
President
Mark is the President and one of the founding members of Care For Others. Care for Others is a faith based non-profit organization that work with individuals and families avoid the throngs of poverty by issuing "independent living grants".
Mark is a graduate of Lake Erie College with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a minor in Finance. He was a partner of Invisible Fence Company of Northeast Ohio for 22 years and JGB Distributing Inc. (a wholesale electronic distribution company). He operated retail locations in Ohio, Michigan. Illinois, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Florida and Wisconsin.
Mark has been a member of St Helen’s parish for over 30 years. He has volunteered with the Geauga County department of Jobs and family services for over 15 years, working on various projects, sponsoring families, and delivering food and gifts during the holidays. He has also volunteered with the American Cancer Society (Lake and Geauga county), American Heart association and participated in raising money for Autism, Leukemia and breast cancer.
Mark has 3 adult children and lives in Marco Island, FL with his wife Mary.
Jim DiLella
Vice President
Jim DiLella is Vice President and one of the founding members of Care For Others. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Seton Hall University and is a past president of Sigma Tau Gama Fraternity.
Jim was president of American Leather in Rahway, NJ for 10 years before relocating to Ohio in 1996. He has been president of Conneaut Leather in Conneaut, OH for the last 14 years.
Jim serves on the Board of Leather Industries of America and is a member of the Ashtabula Growth Partnership.
Jim has one adult son and resides on Kiawah Island, SC with his wife Laura.
Kristen Mekota
Treasurer
Kristen Mekota is the Treasurer for Care For Other. She worked for PriceWaterhouse Coopers for 7 years, rising to the level of Senior Associate before deciding to move into the non-profit world. Now she shares her accounting and business skills between two organizations - Care For Others and The Refugee Response (TRR). When she isn't working for either organization she is busy raising her two daughters, Ava and Grace. Kristen graduated from Mercyhurst College with a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance.
Laura DiLella
Board Member
Laura DiLella is one of the founding members of Care For Others. Laura earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Trenton State College and her Masters degree in Counseling and Human Development from Montclair State University. Laura retired from a career in Nursing in 1984 after a successful 10-year tenure in supervision and management at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey. After retiring from nursing Laura began a second career as a psychosocial oncology counselor at Hackensack Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey. In 1996 Laura and her husband Jim relocated to Ohio where she was able to devote more time to volunteering at school programs and a county run Crisis Intervention hotline.
Laura is responsible for taking all incoming calls, supervising the application process and acting as the applicant advocate during the Board Review.
Laura has one adult son and resides on Kiawah Island, SC with her husband Jim.
Mary Mekota
Board Member
Mary Mekota is one of the founding members of Care For Others.
Mary has worked for Invisible Fence of Northeast Ohio and JGB Distributing, Inc. for over 20 years. She handles day-to-day bookkeeping transactions for Care For Others.
Mary has three adult children and lives in Marco Island, FL with her husband Mark.
Vince Crawford
Board Member
Has been involved with Care for Others as a volunteer since 2007. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration for Adrian College. Vince works for Wastequip as the Great Lakes Account Manager for the Pioneer and Mountain Tarp Divisions.
Vince has voulunteered over the years thru church and local civic organizations, as youth group leader, leader of the helping hands ministry, participant on mission trip to Belieze, commissioner of Munson baseball, Leader in B.S.A, former member of Chardon Rotary.
Vince has lived in Geauga County for 30 years and resides in Munson Township with his wife Beth and sons Kevin and Connor.
