Background & History Information

Angel Faces, established in 2003, is a 501c3 non profit organization, whose mission is to provide innovative healing retreats and ongoing support designed for adolescent girls with facial disfigurements to achieve their optimum potential and develop meaningful relationships for themselves, their families and their communities.

The idea for and the development of this five day residential retreat evolved as a result of Lesia Cartelli's (founder and director of Angel Faces) severe burn injury and subsequent facial scarring at the age of nine in 1969. As an adult she recognized the unique psychosocial needs of adolescent girls with facial disfigurement as they navigate the developmental tasks of adolescence. Lesia has personally experienced the challenges of maturing as an adolescent and professionally witnessed as an adult the struggle with social interactions, making friends and simply "fitting in" that plague adolescent girls who live with facial disfigurement.

There are over 48 burn camps in the United States for children and adolescents who have suffered serious burn injuries. Burn camps offer a fun non threatening environment for the children and provide a normal camp experience including activities such as, swimming, ball games, and campfires etc. The problem is that the focus of the majority of these camps is on giving the children a chance to just be kids -- important and valuable -- but does not address grief and trauma issues or social and self esteem concerns so common in this population.

The problem? What happens after the week of burn camp is over and the child must return to a life of rejection, staring, teasing in school and many unwanted questions? Many children with facial disfigurement are socially stigmatized, ostracized and shamed because the disfigurement in their appearance.

Lesia's experience as director of a burn camp which she developed and implemented in San Diego, clearly saw the need to create an intensive retreat focusing on teaching adolescent girls with facial disfigurement life skills such as; positive ways to respond to stares from the public and classmates, how to answer intrusive questions, and skills to address the effects of trauma and loss related to their facial disfigurement. Lesia also saw the importance of the adolescent girls having a private environment where they can learn special corrective cosmetics for their specific needs.

Through her own personal experience, Lesia also realized the strong need to teach the girls about setting goals and boundaries; (including emotional, physical, social, personal, sexual, and spiritual boundaries) which are vulnerable areas to a teenage girl with a facial disfigurement who will do anything to "fit in".

Angel Faces is successful in all of these areas.

This innovative national program is the (only one in the United States) designed to inspire adolescents with facial disfigurements to achieve their optimum potential and develop meaningful relationships for themselves, their families, and their communities. As a young girls grow more self-confident, their family can also begin their own healing process.

There are currently no programs in the United States or abroad that focus on the specific concerns of adolescent girls with facial disfigurements, nor on enhancing their self esteem and social skills, while at the same time addressing their emotional and psychological healing process.

Because of the intensity of the program and the special individual attention that is given to the adolescent girls, Angel Faces only accepts 20 girls per retreat.

Lastly, Angel Faces was honored on the Dr. Phil Show, December, 2006. Dr. Phil and his wife Robin presented Lesia Cartelli with the prestigious Heart of Woman Award for the development of this innovative program.

Angel Faces is headed into it's seventh year!