Lilliam Alonso Miller ’89 learned more than just numbers at Assumption. She also learned the virtue of compassion. When Hurricanes Maria and Irma devastated the Caribbean last fall, she and her husband Arland mobilized to provide critical relief for their neighbors.
“We always said that we have to take this opportunity to teach our children that during adversity you don’t just quit and move on,” Miller said. “You stay and you deal with the problem at hand. I am a strong believer that you teach people by example.”
After Irma struck, the Millers and some friends embarked on a self-funded mission they dubbed the Caribbean Flyers, in which they delivered food, water, and other provisions to neighboring islands that incurred the brunt of the hurricane’s force. “For those two weeks, we made hundreds of flights, making sure babies were fed and sick people were taken care of,” she said. They also transported medicine, doctors, and those who needed treatment elsewhere.
However, when Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico two weeks later, the Millers were the ones who needed help. “We lost everything,” she said, adding, that both of their houses were ravaged, their windows, doors, and furniture ruined beyond repair. “We are still trying to come to terms with our new reality.”
Though the Millers had no water or power of their own, they once again dedicated themselves to helping others. Despite having given everything to neighboring islands, they managed to gather some water, food, and clothes, which they brought to people in areas of greater need while the Flyers assisted those who couldn’t be reached on foot. Two months later, when the Millers were able to reopen their kitchen and bath store, Remodela, Inc., they cut prices to help customers despite already suffering deep financial losses.
In addition to her personal relief efforts, Miller also put in many hours with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Caribbean Division. Miller, who has worked for the DEA for eight years, cared for and brought toys to displaced orphans and provided necessities to bedridden elderly in the hurricanes’ aftermath.
“Assumption has always been an important part of my life,” said Miller, who is a member of the College’s Board of Trustees. “It was the foundation of what later became the base to the family I wanted to raise. The values, the morals, the dedication, and the most important thing …the love for others.”
