From house fires and science experiments gone wrong to car accidents and cases of abuse, girls who suffer severe burns or other disfiguring trauma often carry pain long after their injuries heal. Even years after leaving the hospital, many face relentless staring, teasing, name-calling, and intrusive questions from peers—stressors that can make daily life feel like a constant struggle.
Each summer, adolescent girls coping with these challenges can attend a specialized healing retreat designed to support their emotional recovery, rebuild self-worth, and help them move forward with confidence. These week‑long retreats focus on psychosocial healing and personal growth, offering a safe environment where participants can share experiences, learn coping skills, and form lasting friendships.
Angel Faces®, a nonprofit based in California, organizes and operates these retreats. Their program aims to reach girls across the country so as many as possible can benefit. This year’s session is scheduled for June 20–26 in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Applications are available online at angelfaces.com. Please note the application deadline is March 15, 2016.
Since its founding in 2003, Angel Faces has specialized in holistic retreats that address the emotional and social needs of injured girls. Unlike traditional summer burn camps, these retreats emphasize psychosocial recovery through therapeutic programming, personal development activities, and practical skills such as corrective cosmetics application and body‑positive care. The retreat experience is offered free to participants; donors cover the program’s cost, which is approximately $4,500 per girl.
Meet Lesia Cartelli
Lesia Cartelli, founder of Angel Faces, survived severe burns from a gas explosion at age nine. Drawing on more than two decades of experience creating and directing aftercare programs for burn-injured children and adults, she launched Angel Faces to expand support specifically for adolescent girls. Cartelli recounts her journey in the memoir Heart of Fire: An Intimate Journey of Pain, Love and Healing.
Cartelli explains the retreat’s philosophy: “We take girls who hurt inside and out, who may be in a spiral of self-pity, anger and depression, and we teach them to get out of the spiral by embracing the pain as a blessing. We show them how tragedy can wake us to life’s richness, how it touches our heart and our soul on many levels.” That approach blends emotional processing with practical tools for everyday life.
The Level I retreat, designed for girls aged 12–18, focuses on restoring self-image and strengthening self-confidence while guiding participants to accept and integrate their trauma and related disfigurement into a resilient sense of self. Licensed therapists lead focused sessions on trauma, loss, and coping strategies. Therapeutic activities include guided verbal expression, journaling, and art therapy—each intended to foster emotional healing in a nurturing group setting.
Participants also practice real-world skills they can use after they return home: techniques for responding to stares or teasing, strategies for handling intrusive questions, and goal-setting exercises to help plan for the future. Professional instruction in corrective cosmetics helps many girls feel more in control of their appearance, while therapeutic massages and facial treatments introduce gentle body care that can be profoundly healing for girls who have felt disconnected from their bodies.
Beginning this year, attendees of the Level I retreat are expected to join a year-long, online aftercare program called “Angels in Flight.” This continued support program reinforces the tools and friendships formed during the retreat and helps ensure progress is sustained over time.
Angel Faces’ mission is to provide transformative retreats and ongoing support for adolescent girls and young women with burn or trauma injuries so they can reach their full potential and build meaningful relationships within their families and communities. The organization’s board includes medical and professional advisors who contribute expertise to ensure programs remain trauma-informed and medically respectful.
Read Lesia Cartelli’s Story Here:
Heart of Fire: An Intimate Journey of Pain, Love and Healing
Barbara Walters, ABC News 20/20: “This is a story you will still be thinking about tomorrow.”
Dr. Phil and Robyn McGraw, Dr. Phil Show: “Lesia Cartelli is the perfect example of someone who has used a tragedy and her heart to help others. We are honored to give her the Heart of a Woman Award.”