Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE, joined Sheila Johnson and 35 of the world's most powerful women at Johnson's Salamander Farm in Middleburg for the first "I Am Powerful" retreat. The "I Am Powerful" campaign, which officially launched on March 8th to coincide with International Women's Day, is designed to galvanize and capitalize on the power of women to end global poverty.

"Once a woman gains power, whether it be financial, political or associated with fame, she has a responsibility to use that power wisely," Johnson said as she opened the three-day event. "One woman can change the lives of a community, a village or a generation."

Dr. Gayle, an internationally recognized scientist and former Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation executive, was appointed president and CEO of CARE in December of 2005. She opened the meeting explaining that CARE, the world's leading international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, celebrated its 61st anniversary in February.

"From post-World War II CARE packages to emergency relief, to fighting HIV/AIDS, gender inequity and poverty overall, CARE is an incredible organization," Gayle said. As the organization's first woman president and CEO, she is determined to create a way for women in the United States to stand in solidarity with women in poor countries who struggle to survive on less than a dollar a day.

"When a woman gains power, she, her husband, her children and her extended family benefit for a lifetime," she continued. Women are an untapped natural resource in fighting global poverty."

Johnson, who is the Global Ambassador for CARE, opened the doors of her farm to a well-known and widely recognized group of women who brought intelligence, commitment and influence to the table for the first I Am Powerful retreat. Johnson challenged her guests to help change the world by being part of a movement to empower women.

Over the course of the weekend, participants engaged in a full agenda of discussions about how to use what they have accomplished to help other women and focused on both the domestic and global challenges women face.

By the conclusion of the weekend, participants were much more aware of each other's backgrounds and strengths, and could begin to envision how they might work together to help achieve the goals outlined by Dr. Gayle and Sheila Johnson.

Today, women represent two-thirds of the world's 876 million illiterate adults, and, although women make up half the world's population and produce half the world's food, they own just one percent of its farmland.

CARE's six decades of experience and extensive research show that the longer a girls stays in school, the higher the income of her family when she becomes an adult. If women in the United States stand up and stand together now for women around the world, just as American women did a century ago to ensure that women had the right to participate fully in society, to vote and to own and inherit property, the world will definitely be a better place.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who was unable to attend the weekend retreat due to a prior commitment, called in to convey her support and to offer her help.

Zap Mama, one of the most popular Afro-European/World Music ensembles in the world, performed for the group on Saturday evening. Photographer Phil Borges, was on hand to sign his latest book "Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World." His photographs were also on display during the "I Am Powerful," retreat.