Charleston , Kanawha County , West Virginia

Honoring the sacrifice of two American heroes, Papa John's stores across West Virginia are donating 20 percent of their sales from December 18 to the families of Corporal Marshall Bailey and Trooper Eric Workman. The officers were shot on August 31 by a suspect. Bailey died at the scenes. Workman passed away a few days later at a Charleston hospital.

One of their colleagues was among those contributing to the cause.

"We appreciate everything any business does for us," Sgt. J.D. Perry with the W.Va. State Police said. "It was a really hard time for the guys and the department as a whole."

While the sacrifice of Bailey and Workman is certainly worthy to remember on its own, this fundraiser is taking place in the shadow of the Connecticut school massacre. Many people affected by that tragedy are looking for a way to do something good in the wake of so much evil.

"The world we live in now I mean it's just been crazy with all of the different shootings that's continuously happening," Larry Giolitto of Charleston said. "So, you know, if you can help out the families a little bit, try to make them feel better. Definitely, it's definitely a good thing to do."

Psychologists say when disaster strikes it is both natural and normal to want to make some kind of positive contribution

"When people do these types of fundraising things it allows them to feel a part of something," David Clayman, a clinical psychologist and founder of Clayman & Associates said. "We feel so helpless in regard with Connecticut and what happened to our troopers. This way you feel not just sending a check in from home but being part of something bigger than you are."

While the timing of this event so close to the Connecticut shootings is coincidental, the effort to honor Bailey and Workman and what they gave in the line of duty is not.

"When something like this happens I always think like, okay what can I do to give back?" Praveen Srinivasan with Papa John's said. "How can I help the families and them?"

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