Neighbors reach out to boys ranch

Danny Gilbert jumped at the opportunity Tuesday night to pay $90 for a computer that was stolen from his office at the Eagles Harbor Boys Ranch just hours earlier.

The computer contained a donor list of nearly 2,000 names of people who have contributed to the nonprofit organization over the years. It was stolen early Tuesday morning by someone who threw a cinderblock through the office's back-door window.

In a bizarre twist to the case, Gilbert said a neighbor who knew about the burglary called him Tuesday night and told him someone from the area was offering to sell him the computer for $90. After contacting the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, he called his friend back and told him to make the purchase.

The Sheriff's Office did not provide information about the case on Thursday.

Thanks to publicity surrounding the case, Gilbert not only got the computer and donor list back, the organization is also getting a brand-new computer from Best Buy and some nonprofit database software from Blackbaud to help protect its records in the future.

Gilbert said both gifts will help the organization continue its mission of providing a home for 16 boys who have been neglected, abused or orphaned.

The ranch is located on 81 acres of land near the New Hope community. Nearly half of the land is pasture for horses, and there's also a pond for the boys to swim in. The boys are divided into two houses of eight. Each house is run by a married couple who treat the children like their own, he said.

Reach Andy Paras at 937-5589 or aparas@postandcourier.com.