Like many Beacon Award winners, Elizabeth Abernathy is motivated by the idea of inspiring a younger generation. What’s unusual is that this dedicated volunteer and role model is a senior in high school. Elizabeth is an officer in the Guilford High School SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) group and a co-chair of the Guilford DAY (Developmental Assets for Youth) program, as well as serving on the student advisory board of the Guilford Youth & Family Services Agency. As a regular volunteer at Yale New Haven Hospital, she particularly enjoys the Pediatrics Unit. A pew minister at St. George in Guilford, she also coordinates collections for the homeless, and true to her mission, encourages her CCD students to pitch in.