In 2014, Valarie Cunningham Ministries International (VCMI), which was birthed in 2014, in the USA, and launched internationally in Kenya, Africa in 2017. Valarie embraces missions and had traveled to Kenya on five occasions in the last 8 years and has reached hundreds with her educational teaching on mental health and substance abuse challenges. She has traveled globally to Trinidad, South Africa, and Mexico doing missions and developing leaders. 

 

Valarie Cunningham is the founder and CEO of The Synergy Health Center (SHC) for the past 19 years. The Synergy Health Center, a non-profit organization whose mission is to transform lives through mental health, behavioral health and substance abuse and support services with particular attention to African Americans. The Synergy Health Center has two locations including Kalamazoo, Portage and Three Rivers, Michigan. In 2019, the first inaugural Breaking the Stigma: African Mental Health Symposium was launched in Kalamazoo County, impacting over 250 individuals including residents, professional, clergy and more. In 2020, SHC partnered with WMU and hosted the Breaking the Stigma: African American Mental Health Symposium virtually with over 171 in attendance. This passion for African Mental Health has opened many doors to advocate, educate and empower Black and Brown communities.  As a need for the continual conversations around Black Mental Health, a monthly forum entitled Let’s Talk: Black Mental Health was launched. As of late, she will be working to break systemic barriers as it relates to Adolescent Mental Health for Black and brown adolescents of color by training them to be Mind Health Ambassadors in their school, community and youth lead organizations. She continues to speak and train on the topics of breaking stigmas, racial trauma, and healing, at colleges, churches, business and internationally about mental health and its impact. This is done through ValarieSimone, LLC her consulting firm focused on Mastering Mind and Heart Matters.