Harvey saw a college student doing the right thing
Published 3:39 pm Wednesday, October 4, 2017
By Lorenzo Salinas
In between school, work and fraternal obligations, Austin Milan also found the time to help countless people in the aftermath of Harvey. His reason was simple: it was the right thing to do.
Milan, 21, is an Accounting major at Lamar University. He donated his time, efforts and community spirit alongside his fraternity brothers to help those in need.
He worked with the Cajun Navy in helping to ferry folks, volunteered a lot of manual labor at a local church and even stuck around for the dirty aftermath of gutting homes and ripping out sheetrock from water-damaged houses.
And when it all came down to it, Milan did it because “It’s the right thing to do.”
Milan was one of the fortunate ones who didn’t get floodwater in his homes. According to him, that only meant he could help out others without having to worry about his own home.
“At Lamar, we banded together and helped out. There were countless, amazing people who helped.”
Trinity Brothers, the fraternity Milan is a member of, coordinated their efforts with other Lamar students to form their own Cajun Navy. Milan estimated they ended up with 60 people.
“I went out with the Trinity Brothers and the Cajun Navy into the Port Arthur area,” Milan said. “After we did that for a couple of days, I went to help at Pathway Church.
“I helped unload trucks, helped load up supplies and helped contribute to their relief effort.”
According to Milan’s estimate, there were tens of thousands of people who came through the church on Nederland Avenue seeking shelter, aid or transportation. They were brought there by volunteers who wanted to give them what relief they could.
“Where I went, we launched over there at Max Bowl on 9th Avenue and got some families out of there and transported them there,” Milan said.
He said the church was brand new. He guessed that it had only held one service before Harvey hit; and then, suddenly, it had found itself a hub of relief efforts.
“It was a pretty amazing operation,” Milan said. “God definitely had His hands on us.”
Milan said when 18-wheelers would stop by with supplies, he and other volunteers would help unload them. Among their other duties, he loaded drinking water into residents’ vehicles.
Afterward, Milan spent his time gutting houses and ripping out sheetrock in homes he dubbed “smelled terrible.” Still, it was a much-needed service for families who would come back to mold-infested walls.
“I like to think I’m charitable,” Milan said of his relief efforts over the busy two-week period. He said his fraternity regularly engages in volunteer and philanthropy work.
“There were people who lost everything. It was just the right thing to do. Anything I could do, I was more than willing to help.”
