Jaden Mayes

Employee of Party on Air, Danville High School senior

Danville High School senior Jaden Mayes spends much of her days and weekends with gobs of children, as part of her job working at Party on Air.

The teen said she loves the job, which involves a lot of playing with kids as they traverse the inflatables.

“I like to make the kids happy,” said Mayes on Thursday.

She watches kids to make sure they stay safe on the inflatables, too as part of her job. On Thursday, she helped Talan Wesley, the son of owners Joe and Ashley Wesley, as he played on the equipment.

Her favorite part is playing with the kids and dressing up in costume when they have theme nights.

She said she’d dressed up as a variety of things. It was fun because people don’t know who is in the costumes, so she can act a little goofy.

“I’m excited to do Doc McStuffins,” Mayes said, laughing.

Whenever they have “bounce time” at the center, Mayes also helps ring people up, sign in kids and serve drinks. During the summers, she works festivals and fairs where they set up inflatables.

“I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities from working here,” Mayes said. “I’ve gotten to travel. I’ve gotten to be on the radio.”

She’s also learned a lot. Mayes got the job as a freshman and said she was pretty shy then.

“I’ve had to come out of my shell a little bit,” she said, smiling.

She visited Party on Air with a friend, looking for a job, but said she was “too nervous” to talk to Ashley Wesley. A bit later, Mayes said, her mom met Wesley at an event and told her about her daughter being to nervous to talk to her.

“Ashley called to talk to me and I started working here,” Mayes said.

She fell in love with it.

“It gave me the courage to apply for senior class president,” Mayes said.

She also cheers for Danville High School.

Mayes said she’s learned a lot about dealing with people from working at Party on Air. She’s also had a chance to make connections with families for whom she now babysits. Mayes is a certified babysitter and also babysits the Wesley children.

Mayes said she loves children. She wants to go to Vanderbilt University or University of Kentucky to become a pediatrician.

“I’m excited,” she said, smiling. “Wherever I go, I want to stay close enough I can come home about one weekend a month to work. I would miss Ashley and working here.”