BROOKLYN, Ohio (WJW) – When bad things happen to good people, one of the first questions that 13-year-old Gideon Trank and his 11-year-old brother, Josiah, ask their parents is, “what can we do to help?”

Over the past seven years, the Trank brothers have established a family tradition of operating a lemonade stand to benefit the families of first responders killed in the line of duty.

The boys are home-schooled. Their parents have taught them to think of others before themselves and that even the simplest idea to lend a helping hand can heal broken hearts.

“There’s a quote that says, ‘if people hate, we can love,’ and that’s what we stand by,” Gideon Trank said.

The boys’ mother said getting their lemonade stand out of storage and organizing a fundraiser was their natural reaction as they learned more about the July 23 ambush that took the life of Lorain police officer Phillip Wagner and left two other officers wounded.

“It broke our hearts. This is the first time my youngest, Josiah, it hit him really hard,” Machelle Trank said. “He started crying. I mean, there’s always been grief behind it, but it’s the first time it actually hit him because we know they all have families and like me, having kids myself, I can’t imagine them losing a parent in such a tragic way.”

Compassion for others in a time of need is a core value instilled in Gideon and Josiah by their parents, as is a deep respect for first responders like Wagner.

“It really does take a special person to step in their shoes and do what they do day in and day out,” said their father, Avery Trank. “They put on the badge, they put on a vest or they put on a fire suit, not knowing what they’re going into. Not knowing who they’re going to deal with and they’re going to save your life.”

Unfortunately, due to tragedies like the death of Wagner, the fundraisers by the Trank brothers have become all too common — 10 in the last seven years.

During troubled times over the years, Gideon and Josiah’s lemonade stand on Vandalia Avenue in Brooklyn has been a ray of sunshine for grieving families, first responders and Northeast Ohioans searching for a way to show they care.

“We try to tell them how we support the police, we back the blue and we just hope they stay very safe,” Gideon said.

As they prepare for their fundraiser later this week to support the officers’ families, Gideon and Josiah are once again displaying a level of empathy that is beyond their years.

“I’m proud of them,” their father said, beaming. “I mean, there’s not enough words to say how good they’re doing and what they’re doing for the community. It’s a blessing, it really is.”

Gideon and Josiah’s lemonade stand in the 6800 block of Vandalia Avenue off of Ridge Road in Brooklyn will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

The Trank brothers said if there is a lot of business, they will stay open later.