Sarah, Duchess of York Society at a congressional briefing. Sarah, Duchess of York, was a founding supporter of the American Cancer Society's Great American Weigh In, an annual campaign (modelled after the Society's Great American Smoke Out) aimed at raising awareness of the link between excess weight and cancer. In 2006, the Duchess established The Sarah Ferguson Foundation based in Toronto, which derives funds from Sarah's commercial work and private donations with the aim of supporting charities internationally that serve children and families in dire need. Included under this umbrella organisation is her patronage and support of several British charities, including Mental Disability Rights
Sarah, Duchess of York in Crisis, a children's charity focused on education and grant making to international programmes. The Duchess serves as Founder and Life President. She founded the charity after meeting a young cancer victim named Anya during her visit to Poland in 1992. In June 1998, the Duchess made a brief trip to Bethesda in order to receive an award from the Journal of Women's Health. She also visited the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center. NIH associate director for communications said, "The Duchess has many opportunities to talk to women via television, at lectures and through print media interviews" and