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This article was published 30/12/2018 (635 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A West Broadway non-profit has experienced a minor Christmas miracle after its invaluable digital archives were returned on the weekend.

Thousands of dollars of equipment and irreplaceable data were stolen from Art City, which is on the 600 block of Broadway, during a Boxing Day break-in.

"We were very disheartened and — to be honest — I didn’t think we’d see it again. We felt our best chance at getting the archives back was offering a cash reward, but still I was skeptical even if cautiously optimistic," managing director Josh Ruth said.

Founded in 1998, Art City offers free arts programming for inner-city youth.

Shortly before 1 a.m. on Boxing Day, the agency’s alarm system went off. Staff checked livestream security footage of the space at the time, but couldn’t see anyone in the building. The security system also reported the doors were locked, leading them to think it was a false alarm.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Josh Ruth says the equipment was of no value to the thief, but was irreplaceable to the organization.

It wasn’t until staff arrived at the building on the following afternoon that they realized someone had smashed their way inside and made off with thousands of dollars worth of their property.

Most distressing of all for the staff was that their digital archives were stolen, which included two decades worth of irreplaceable photographs and art projects.

But on Saturday, after doing a media blitz, posting to social media and spreading the word throughout the community, Art City got a call from someone saying they had the digital archives and would be willing to return it for the cash reward.

"He just phoned out of the blue and said he’d return the item for the cash reward. That happened Saturday. In addition, several local pawn shops reached out to us with some of our items, including a 3D printer and several of the digital cameras," Ruth said.

"I don’t know how it came to pass this person knew the backup drive was something we were desperately searching for, but none of the other items was offered, so obviously, the word made its way to them."

Ruth said he didn’t want to speculate on whether the person who returned the archives was the thief, but noted he refused to come inside Art City when the exchange was made due to the security cameras. He also didn’t want to say how much of a cash reward was offered.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Josh Ruth of Art City

"We’re not talking about a lot of money, but any amount of money is significant to an organization with a budget like ours. Still, we have a profound sense of relief," he said.

When the break-in happened, the thief was able to avoid detection on security cameras due to a blind spot in the room that stored the digital equipment.

Ruth said they’ve received advice about beefing up security.

"We’re going to make changes. We’ve had a lot of advice roll in and we’re in discussions with our alarm company. In a lot of ways, this is a cautionary tale. But ultimately, we just want to thank the community because they’re largely responsible for this outcome," Ruth said.

"It’s nice to know that when we put out a call for help, the community really rallies. We just want to thank everyone for their support and make sure nothing like this happens again."

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe