Mary Thompson
Reno Gazette-Journal
Friday March 9th, 2001

Would you like to... Email this story Print this story

There�s the Red Cross and the Salvation Army to help people in need. But rarely does anyone associate prostitution with charity.

But women at the Moonlight Bunnyranch have come to the rescue of neighbors who lost everything when their trailer burned to a crisp during a recent fire.

�We�re good girls with big hearts,� said Air Force Amy, a featured employee at the Mound House brothel.
Mound House residents Helen Tyree and Chris Laird lost their cars, family photos and even their clothes in the Feb. 18 blaze which was ignited by a propane heater. Nobody was hurt but Tyree said the fire consumed the trailer within minutes, leaving the family without a place to stay.

Dennis Hof, owner of the Bunnyranch, said the crew newspaper article about the fire and decided they could help.

�The bottom line is that these people are our neighbors and they�re in need,� Hof said. �The community supports us by allowing us to be here and we want to make sure we give back.�

The prostitutes are giving the couple $2,500 and furniture for their new trailer, expected to arrive next week as a donation from Homes of America and
Yerington residents Mike and Cheryl Jones. In the meantime, Hof is letting the couple stay at the brothel for free.

Tyree said establishing a new home on her burned lot on Pyrite Drive would have been impossible without the help of others because she didn�t have any homeowner�s insurance.

�It�s amazing the people who show up to contribute when there�s a crisis,� Tyree said. �Everybody, including God himself, helped out.�

Doing good for the community, in addition to contributing to the tax base, is something Hof said his brothel business is trying to start.

Many other people and businesses contributed to the couple, including the Red Cross and Kmart, Tyree said. She added that they were too many to list.