Local teenage girls get to see their dreams come true ... they're going to the prom

"I

ris Corona, 17, emerged from a dressing room with a broad smile on her face, trying on a radiant electric-blue prom dress that meant so much more than just a fashion statement.

"Here she is! Oh, that's beautiful! Wow!" several onlookers exclaimed as the Grant High School student completed a metamorphosis, switching from jeans and a T-shirt to one of several little satin numbers she tried out Friday.

"Thank you," she said, beaming. | Click here to see more photos.

Corona was among 38 Los Angeles Unified School District students from low-income or homeless families chosen to receive prom dresses, shoes, purses and other accessories through Operation School Bell.

"It's just such a thrill," said Suzanne Kahane, board vice president for the Assistance League of Southern California, which sponsored the program.

"We worked with the LAUSD to identify girls who otherwise would never have had a chance to go to prom," she said.

"These students are high achievers, and this is just kind of the icing on the cake for them, to say `You've worked really hard and persevered under some very difficult situations."'

Wendy Arredondo, 18, also at Grant High

School, confessed to feeling a bit overwhelmed by the racks of prom dresses in different styles, colors and fabrics, embellished with beads, sequins and rhinestones.

There were also shelves of high-heeled shoes; tables piled with makeup, costume jewelry and evening bags; and a corner devoted solely to pashmina shawls.

"You walk in and you feel like a kid in a candy store," Arredondo said. "It's my Cinderella moment."

League volunteers not only secured donations of outfits and accessories for the girls, but also took on the role of stylists.

"Here, try this necklace, it's the same color as your dress," Kimberly Stephens advised Gabriela Zantizo, 18, of Van Nuys High School.

The event planner has been volunteering for Operation School Bell for years, usually helping children acquire uniforms and backpacks.

Helping teenage girls prepare for their prom, she said, is extra special.

"I really get to live a little vicariously through them and it's a lot of fun, playing dress-up," Stephens said. "More importantly, I love watching how happy they are. They've earned this."

Corona, Arredondo and Zantizo - children of a caregiver, a nanny and a construction worker - also said they would not be able to go to their prom if not for the generosity of strangers.

Gratefulness brought tears to the eyes of Maria Salazar, 18, a student at Van Nuys High School and the daughter of a car wash worker.

"It's really nice of them to get together and donate to us, people who need help," she said. "It makes me emotional."

Audrina Patridge Kim Kardashian Lucy Liu Kirsten Dunst Brody Dalle