About Cheri DiNovo -- Blazing Trails in Business, Religion and Politics; Fighting for the Rights of All:

Cheri has one of those amazing stories that I tell to just about everyone I know. Without exception, people are astounded and impressed when they hear everything she's accomplished. Cheri's success is the story of repeated turnarounds: From street kid to successful entrepreneur, from high school drop-out to award winning PhD. From inspiring United Church Minister, to what the Toronto Sun has called "The new female power [in politics]".

Here is her story:

Cheri Dinovo grew up in a dysfunctional household that culminated with Cheri witnessing the suicide of her step father. Traumatized, Cheri ran away from home, at the age of 15, and lived on the street.

She regularly ate free meals at the Fred Victor Mission, where she befriended a pastor who was the first adult that she felt she could talk to. His friendship and belief in her helped to turn her life around. She went back to school and eventually built a successful business.

By her early thirties, she was living her dream: she had a family, a car and a large home with a pool. Once she had the money and the possessions, she realized that financial success was not the key to her happiness.

Inspired by the minister in her church, she realized that the key to her own satisfaction was to change the lives of others for the better. With that knowledge, Cheri went back to school again and became an ordained minister ran a church that had been on the verge of bankruptcy, where there were only 50 congregants. In the course of 2 years – she transformed that church into one that occupied 1000 people at Christmas time.

Following her mission to help others improve their lives, she spoke openly about her previous life on the street so as to spread hope that there are absolutely no dead ends in life.

Taking that mission further, she decided to run for public office. When her opponent tried to use Cheri’s history on the street against her in what was called the worst public smear campaign in Canadian political history, the plan backfired, and Cheri won the election.

Today she fights for the rights of a wide spectrum of citizens; from small business people to those below the poverty line. Her most significant accomplishment: winning the fight to raise the minimum wage to $10 over the next 3 years.

Today, Cheri’s windows of the legislative building where she works give a clear view to the park she once slept in.

Articles on Cheri can be found here:

Street Kid to Crusader

Incredible Woman: Best Seat in the House

What has them Flocking to Her Church?

© Copyright 2007 Lia Grimanis all rights reserved