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Free Formal Wear Offered To More Than 1,000 Underprivileged Teens In South LA For Prom, Graduation

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — More than 1,000 underprivileged girls and boys in South Central Los Angeles received free formal wear Friday for their prom and graduation.

The 13th annual "Cinderella and Prince Charming Project" exposed more than 1,000 princesses and 300 princes to volunteer opportunities in an effort to make a difference in their communities.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at A Place Called Home (APCH), which is located at 2830 South Central Avenue.

This year, Danielle Jordan and Eric Anthony Johnson of "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" taught princesses ballroom dancing classes as part of the program.

ball room dancing
(credit: CBS/Amy Johnson)

Participants also attended workshops, which aimed to empower students to prepare their futures by learning about financial literacy and career readiness.

CBS2's Amy Johnson was there when the budding royals picked out their outfits and got lessons in the waltz.

Giselle Rios of Bell was one of the girls taking part in A Place Called Home's annual event.

"My favorite color is blue so I really want a blue dress," Rios said.

Danielle Jordan/Cinderella Dancer 1:44:06 "With Cinderella the message is charity, generosity and kindness. This is something I wanted to be part of the entire tour," said Jordan, aka Cinderella.

For his part, the prince was more than charmed to help teach the waltz.

"It's a classic fairy tale and the waltz is such a staple of our show, it's where the prince meets Cinderella for the first time, and they connect and it's great that they get to take this little piece of dance with them," said Johnson.

Other companies who provided support to the project include Apple and Beats Music, Bank of America, Bank of the West, Chevrolet, Friar Tux, Herbalife, KIIS-FM, Los Angeles Rotary LA5, Ross, The TJX Companies and Wescom.

APCH was founded as a safe haven nearly two decades ago. The foundation works to help teenagers avoid destructive behaviors by developing motivation and life skills to overcome adversity.

For more information on APCH, click here.

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