Angel Faces — healing retreats and ongoing support designed to inspire adolescent girls with severe facial disfigurements to achieve their optimum potential.

"At my age I thought I'd seen and experienced love in my life, It was when i watched one girl feed another girl her lunch (her hands were too burned to feed herself) that I saw true love from the heart." Dora, A spa volunteer.

What a magical thing to watch great needs collide with passion and great resources! A gift! We've completed the Seventh retreat. Abundant stories of strength and courage.

Recently, twenty one carefully selected girls arrived from the United States, Canada and Mexico with challenges even greater than we had anticipated. At least half of the girls had burn injuries of over 60%, a few with 90% of their body surface, arrived with significant lack of mobility and trauma that brought those injuries (nearly too heartbreaking to share).

I’ve learned over the last decade of working with these courageous young women, the exterior injuries are only the tip of the iceberg. Social, familial and grief/loss issues are usually floating near the surface — hungry for solid education and tender loving care. This particular retreat was the most powerful in the connection we see with the girls. The compassion, love and support each girl showed toward each other (90% of girls did not know each other when they arrived) is something we usually don't see until the third day. It was clear to me on the morning after their arrival — they were bonded together.

The girls and Lesia (founder and director) on the closing dinner. Angel Faces 2010

Throughout the week the girls pushed their bodies and became grounded in yoga, journaled throughout the week about their confusion of their injury to hope and clarity. They listened to the educational sessions with keen awareness, slept in the cradle of our support, swam for the first time since their injury — and left with tools, skills to create the life they want – we all left with our hearts full.

Enjoy the photos and thoughts from the girls, our volunteers and supporters.

“Angel Faces really changed my life. I feel more confident about leaving the house, going to the pool, meeting new people, going to water parks, and putting my hair up showing that more of my scars and that I don't have an ear.. I learned how to communicate with people when they ask "what happened to you?"…this will retreat will help me a lot. I really feel changed, even my family and friends noticed. Thank you all so much for what you have done to help me in my life.” Adriana, 13 years old.

Jenna during butterfly release ceremony, Angel Faces 2010

As sponsors, and donors who support us –– or girls who need us, welcome to our world. Enjoy the website. I hope you are encouraged and inspired.