PROM DREAMS COME TRUE

Belle of the Ball glams up students for prom

Hundreds of high school girls from Boston and beyond were treated to a day of luxury yesterday, including the services of a volunteer personal shopper, as they got to pick out a stunning prom dress, matching shoes and jewelry completely free of charge at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center.

“I feel like a princess,” said Rebecca Elliott, a student at Rockland High School. “I’m feeling good, I like the dress, it came out perfect.”

Elliott was one of the nearly 1,000 low-income students who were selected to take part in yesterday’s Belle of the Ball. Anton’s Cleaners, Jordan’s Furniture and Enterprise Bank collected thousands of donated prom dresses — some never worn — over the past year and bought more than enough jewelry, accessories and pairs of shoes to complete each outfit.

Bonnie Heslin, one of the volunteers, said she was thrilled to spend the day helping young girls look like rock stars.

“It’s super fun, just seeing all the girls trying on the dresses,” Heslin said. “Everybody just looks so happy, the room just has energy to it.”

Magbe Toure, a student at West Roxbury Academy, picked out a dark blue dress and said trying to figure out prom details had been a headache.

“I was really stressed . ... I can’t afford expensive dresses,” Toure said. “Now, I feel so happy, I am so excited.”

After about 45 minutes of browsing the dress racks and trying dresses on, Elliott settled on a jeweled blue gown. She said picking out a dress yesterday made the experience all about fun without any worries.

“We were trying all the different stores and then going and it’s like trying on a bunch of dresses and just not finding one,” she said. “Then you find one that fits but then it’s too expensive.”

Instead, at Belle of the Ball, everything is provided and planned out.

As Elliott admired her choice of dress in a mirror, Carolyn Elliott, Rebecca’s mom, looked on with a smile on her face.

“This is awesome, it’s like a dream,” she said. “My baby girl, growing up.”

PICTURE PERFECT: Clara Louis, 19, snaps a pic of herself. ALL SMILES: Medelys Marte, 17, shows off her dress.

STAFF PHOTOS BY PATRICK WHITTEMORE FRESH FINDS: Rockland High School student Rebecca Elliott, 17, top, admires her prom dress as attendees, above, look through a selection yesterday during Belle of the Ball at the Hynes Convention Center.