Ten years ago, Tommy Rueff left a successful advertising career to become a nonprofit entrepreneur, so to speak. Now, the creator of Happen Inc., a nonprofit arts-education workshop that has been operating out of Anderson Township, is seeing that risky move come to fruition with the opening of a second workshop location in Northside.

"I always wanted to be in Northside," said Rueff, whose dream was to create positive experiences for kids and their parents through participation in arts activities.

Rueff, who lives in Northside, said he was never able to find a suitable spot there when he founded his arts endeavor almost 10 years ago. But recently, a storefront became available that met his needs.

"Northside is a melting pot, a very diversified neighborhood," he said. "Our goal is to be accessible to everyone. This new location helps us achieve that goal."

The Northside workshop for Happen Inc. was unveiled in a grand opening ceremony late last month. As a way of celebrating the new center, Rueff said he will offer every workshop at the Northside location free of charge to all participants for the first year.

The generous offer and the new location itself are thanks, in large part, to a donation from Happen Inc.'s largest benefactor, Procter & Gamble, said Rueff.

As many as 50 P&G employees helped Rueff renovate his new location at 4201 Hamilton Ave. last week, and a $90,000 grant from P&G helped fund the renovations and the first year of operations, he said.

Happen is funded largely through donations from a broad range of individuals and organizations. Rueff said his goal last year was to attain $400,000 in donations to help bring the workshops to kids who couldn't afford to get to them on their own. He said he actually received about $380,000 in contributions.

In addition to sponsorship from P&G, Happen Inc. has developed partnerships with other community organizations such as the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Cincinnati Art Museum. Happen offers unique classes in conjunction with these groups that take place once a month at the Northside location.

Workshops at Happen cover a broad range of art experiences, he said, including dramatic art, ceramics, painting, drawing, Toy Lab and movie making.

One of his goals at the new Northside location this summer is to have kids in the movie-making workshop create a film about the Northside community. Because of the "walkable" nature of the neighborhood, Rueff said he thinks this project will be different from any other film Happen has produced.

Former program participant and currently a volunteer with Happen, Chloe Watkins, 15, of Oakley, said she found the workshops inspiring because of Rueff's ability to make the ordinary into art.

"He's just got a whole different perspective on things," she said. "He incorporates everyday things that you would not normally think of as art. The interactive aspects of the workshops definitely helped my ability to think quickly and use my creativity."

Shelley Werner, educational service coordinator with Project Connect in the Cincinnati Public School District, which assists homeless children, said she has seen firsthand the benefits of Happen's programming for kids.

"It gives them structure, but it also allows them to use their imagination and creativity to make something unique," she said. "For our kids, the experiences are top notch."

Rueff says he will increase the number of 45-minute workshops this year. Workshops generally cost $14 and are available on a first come, first served basis.

At the Northside location this year, however, all participants will go through the programs free of charge but must still register in person for the first available workshops.

Tommy Rueff, Executive Director of Happen, Inc., stands on Hamilton Ave across from his workshop in Northside.