Cinderella almost didn’t make it to the ball. But with a little hope and help from her fairy godmother, she arrived beautifully and danced the night away with her prince charming.

On Friday Los Angeles youth taxed by misfortune became one step closer to gracing their school’s most prized events, thanks to the annual Cinderella/Prince Charming Project.

More than 1,000 girls showed up for the first part of what’s billed as L.A.’s biggest and most uplifting two-day fairytale. The project, now in its 12th year, was held at A Place Called Home, an educational and empowerment center for underserved youth in South Central.

Along with free formalwear for their prom and graduation, the affair featured workshops—held each hour until 4pm—on financial literacy, substance abuse prevention, positive body image and career readiness—tied together by the act of paying it forward.

Today was all about the girls.

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At 11 am the first group arrived—receiving goody bags filled with a bracelet, notepad and shopping passport—eager to find the perfect dress. First, Ana Fernandez-Davila, 19, Miss Los Angeles 2014, and a sophomore at UCLA greeted them with a smile and some words of wisdom.

“You have to wear the dress, don’t let the dress wear you,” she said. 

Fernandez, an advocate for youth empowerment and conquering self-esteem issues, then proceeded to explain the importance of self-confidence and independence.

 “When I was in high-school I didn’t go out and have fun with my friends,” she said. “I was working two jobs. I didn’t want my dad to pay for anything; I wanted to do it on my own. And now I’m finishing college early, getting my real-estate license this year and I just bought my own car. I know that sounds like a lot but, you can do it too.”

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Next stop were the workshops. The girls were able to attend two out of the four 30-minute sessions.

Caroline Kinsolving, 32, ran the yoga station. She connected the difficult balance required to do the Dancing Warrior Pose—where you hold one foot behind your back and lean forward with the opposite arm stretched in front of you—to troubles people face every day that throw them off balance. 

“It’s like we have everything going and then life happens and we lose our balance,” Kinsolving said. “But it’s a choice of how you find your balance again. You can choose to be angry that life threw this curveball or you can take the challenge with grace and graciousness and try again.”

Meanwhile, sisters Alessandra and Cristina Conti of Matching Up in Beverly Hills spoke to the girls about what they wish they knew in high school.

“I wish I knew I didn’t need to be ashamed of anything,” said Allie. “Be ambitious; it’s a beautiful thing! I used to say that I wanted to be the next Oprah Winfrey and people would make fun of me. But just remember that those people are only laughing at you out of fear. They’re afraid of your dreams, but you don’t need to be.” 

New mother and CNA, Leslie Rizo, 18, was encouraged by Allie and Cristina’s words. 

“They were so positive, I really love that,” Rizo said. “I try to be [positive] as much as possible. I try to love myself and take care of myself but it’s hard. I was very self-conscious in high school but now I have a kid. So I know I can do everything because I have been doing it—I’ve been doing everything I wanted to do. I finished high school, I’m a CNA and I know it’s simple but I’m on my way to accomplishing my goal.” 

Rizo hopes to become a Registered Nurse. She loves the dress—a gently used item like the majority of the items mixed in with brand new dresses—and the accessories she walked away with today. But her career and values are even more important.

“Right now I’m focused on my son, and being a better person for him. But it doesn’t hurt to look pretty while doing it,” she said. 

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Following the workshops the girls had 30 minutes to sift through thousands of options for dresses, shoes, jewelry, purses and make up. The tickets on their “passport” allowed them to take one of each item. They could even get a professional makeover to feel like a princess in the moment.

About 80 percent of LAUSD students come from low-income households. 73.4 percent of those students are Latino, and 10.4 percent are Black. Despite the adversity they face, Cinderella/Prince Charming Project attendees have dreams. 

Abigail Navarro, 20, wants to finish high school. Her best friend Jessica Crawford, 19, wants to join the Police Academy. On Friday the girls were as excited to gush about their longstanding ambitions, as about their brand new shoes.

“The shoes are the best part,” said Jessica. “Oh and the fact that you get to shop around, for free!” 

Just Fab—a shoe, boots and handbag online store—donated over 300 pairs of brand new shoes. American Tires, Herbalife, Bank of America, USC, and UCLA also sponsored the event.

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Kimora Lee Simmons, President of Just Fab and former runway model, came to style a few girls in GIRL POWER, a peer-mentoring group that are members of and/or volunteers at A Place Called Home. Before the styling, she had a chat with the girls. 

“Remember that beauty comes from the inside; it’s something that we’re all born with,” said Simmons. "We all look different, feel different, think differently, but underneath it all, we’re the same. So when I say be beautiful, I mean to be radiant, be confident. Have fun, and always smile! You best armor in the world is a beautiful smile.”

The GIRL POWER group is lead by Lucretia Taylor, 29, who is also the Teen Services Manager at the safe haven. Taylor, who’s currently working on a PhD in education was thrilled to see so many girls walk away with dresses in their hands and smiles on their faces. More importantly, she was proud of the message they left with. 

“You may not have the money to give but you have time and you have skills, and that alone can give someone hope. We’re trying to instill that pay it forward mentality,” Taylor said. 

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Jonathan Zeichner, Executive Director of A Place Called Home, was thrilled about the event and challenged the girls to pay it forward and do at least one good deed for someone before their upcoming week of Spring Break is over; simultaneously, he is passionate about all A Place Called Home has to offer. 

“We’re providing so many services here.," said Zeichner. "Education, nutrition, athletics, dance and music, art, college preparation—we’ve sent 263 students to college from South Central and we even have an organic fruit and vegetable garden here. It’s a lot going on here; this is just one of many events that we do."

Just nine years ago Prince Charming was added to the project, an event that is expected to attract 300 boys on Saturday. They will go through a similar process and will walk away with dress shoes, suits, tuxedos and a new sense of self-worth and confidence in their ability to succeed.

Reach Staff Reporter Cortney Riles here. Follow her on Twitter here.