Chances for Children
Created by The Duchess of York in 1994, Chances for Children's mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of children facing unique challenges to their health and well-being. Chances for Children is a nonprofit organization that accomplishes this goal by working behind the scenes with families, hospitals and other charities.

The Duchess is the driving force behind the foundation's work and remains very active as a fundraiser. The Duchess also helps establish important partnerships with sponsors and forms alliances with social service and relief organizations.

Little Red
Chances for Children's logo is a happy little girl on a swing The Duchess named "Little Red," inspired by Rhonda, the first child Chances for Children was able to help. Rhonda was very ill, complicated by the fact that she had an intra-cranial tumor lying on her optic nerve. The Duchess believes that terminally ill children such as Rhonda deserve to live their lives as fully as possible, and her charity funded the surgery that helped Rhonda regain her sight.

The innocence and spirit of Little Red has been captured in Chances for Children's Little Red doll. The colorful and cuddly cloth doll is sold at FAO Schwartz ($15 retail); a portion of the proceeds go to the charity.

American Heart Association
In September 2000, the American Heart Association named The Duchess its national volunteer spokesperson to help raise awareness of heart disease and heart disease prevention. This is a fitting extension of The Duchess's work with Weight Watchers and furthers her efforts as an advocate for women's health. Heart disease is generally viewed as a men's illness but in fact it is also a top killer of American women.

ALS
In the mid-1980s The Duchess lost a good friend and colleague, Sir Robert Cooke, to a devastating illness known in England as Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and in America as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's Disease. The illness strikes adults at any age and there is no cure or treatment. The afflicted become powerless as the disease gradually destroys the muscles that govern their movement and most people die within several years of diagnosis. The Duchess joined the crusade to raise public awareness of the disease on behalf of ALS patients in Britain and America.