Way to Go: Rachel Rosenberg, Dix Hills

Rachel Rosenberg single-handedly helped many teens have an extra-special prom.

The junior at Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills collected 150 new and gently used dresses for underprivileged teens to wear to their proms or graduations as part of the 18th Annual Prom Boutique at Nassau Community College.

The event benefited some 1,500 students and was hosted by the Long Island Volunteer Center in Hempstead.

Rosenberg said she wrote letters to 50 stores on Long Island and in Manhattan asking them to donate dresses, shoes and purses. She also received donations from Half Hollow Hills teachers and the school's Key Club.

"My goal was 100, but once I got there I wasn't quite satisfied," said Rosenberg, 16. "I'm a teenage girl, so I know the pressure we feel when it comes to finding the right dress."

Rosenberg said she stored the donated dresses -- which ranged from ball gowns to cocktail dresses -- in her basement. She also assisted program directors at the event by sorting the gowns and helping girls select dresses, among other things.

Rosenberg is a bat mitzvah tutor at Temple Beth David in Commack, a fundraiser for Sunrise Day Camp in Oceanside, and in the Key Club and National Honor Society.