Jackie Kuenstler and David Williams get the party started. The music plays. The guests show up. The drinks have been poured (soda, that is), but without them, everything comes to a halt. When kids show up for their party at Pump it Up, Jackie is responsible for hosting and organization, and David works in the bounce house area.

Jackie prefers hosting parties instead of the other jobs at Pump it Up because she gets to make all the kids happy, and she gets a long break. David enjoys being more active and supervising the bounce houses.

“Sometimes there will be a little kid who’s sad and won’t want to play with anyone, so I feel good about myself when I can play with the kid and make him feel happy,” Kuenstler said.

Jackie’s responsibilities include serving pizza and cake, writing down all the presents and cleaning up the room for the next party. After 40 minutes of hosting, she gets a 40 minute break. She enjoys her job, and her coworkers help keep it interesting.
“The workers there are really nice. I get along with almost everyone that works there,” Kuenstler said. “We also have a helium machine we can play with sometimes. We find ways to make it fun.”

Williams supervises the bounce house play area. Living with four younger siblings has made him good with younger kids, so the job comes naturally to him. One birthday party even gave him inspiration for the future of his 5-year-old brother, who suffers from autism and cannot speak.

“We had a party for a 13-year-old, and he was talking away, but you could tell there was something wrong with him from the way he was talking. It gave me hope that my brother might be able to talk one day,” Williams said.

Although the parties at Pump it Up usually go smoothly, they occasionally don’t go as expected. Hyper-active ten-year-olds playing ‘get the big kid,’ and the occasional rug-burn or sprained ankle make some parties stand out.

“They were just chasing me, and tackling me and pulling on my shirt. I had to go hide in the obstacle course and it was pretty scary,” Kuenstler said.

Despite the scabs and burns associated with the bounce houses, Williams still prefers the unique job at Pump it Up over any other.

“If you work at a clothes store the only entertainment you have is the staff, because you can’t just fold clothes all day and be happy,” Williams said. “That’s why I feel really lucky to have this job.”