Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Whether it's in Colorado or in Wilson, whenever tragedy strikes, experts say it rocks our world. That's one reason why we we feel to need to do something to help.

"We have a need to try to get things back in balance," says Sue Green, Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work and Co-Director of the Trauma Institue at UB. "There's this level to almost master and almost fix what has put us out of balance."

"One of the biggest reasons is we tend to see our own vulnerability in that moment, and we want to do something to gain control again, and reaching out to other people is one way of doing that," says Tara Hughes, New York Disaster Mental Health Adviser for the American Red Cross. It's also a reason why our hearts broke when James Holmes allegedly opened fire at a movie theater in Colorado. "We all go to the movies, so we're close to that emotionally, so we tend to feel we are a bit more connected to humanity at that moment, and help as much as we can."

When it comes to donations, Green says even a little is a lot. "It allows us to feel connected to the solution that's in front of us," notes Green. Hughes adds, "When we do give, we are giving of ourselves but that is put together with everything given by everyone else and it becomes a force at that point."