Community

BOUNCING BACK

ORLANDO BUSINESS GETTING BACK INTO ACTION DURING PANDEMIC.

BY DAMANI DICKERSON

When little CJ went to school on his birthday, he was confident he was the real Spider-Man. So when the actual Spider-Man walked into his class that day, he was completely mind blown. Fortunately for him and many other Central Florida kids, one business is genuinely passionate, dedicated and consistent about entertaining children and spreading love throughout the community.

“I am a very picky mom, and I only want the best for my child even when it comes to entertainment. 4 The Kids truly created a magical day for my son, “ CJ’s mom Sara Queen said. “Very professional staff, on time, and extremely engaging with the kids. It was a pleasure to see my son so happy and to see other kids happy as well.”

Bound to make a difference, local business owner Eli Salhab embarked on a journey to help build the community by purchasing a single bounce house around six years ago. Over 1,000 parties and 600 special events later, his company, 4 The Kids Entertainment, is more than just a bounce house company. It’s an entertainment company for kids determined to bring that positive vibe back to the area.

“We started with one bounce house and now we have 13 bounce houses, 30 mascots, and concessions (cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn),” the 2009 Ocoee High graduate said. “We decided to focus on the kids because when you do it for the kids, you do it for everyone. They are the future, the next generation.” 4 The Kids Entertainment is a fully licensed & insured company devoted to the people. Over the last six years, they have become one of Central Florida’s most trusted entertainment providers. They specialize in providing a fun, safe and upbeat atmosphere while offering a wide variety of services and equipment, including an array of bounce houses, waterslides, face painting, balloon twisting, character mascot appearances, DJ and equipment rentals.

Their mission is to innovative children’s amusement through heartfelt commitment and to seek opportunities to serve the community by partnering with schools, faith-based organizations, hospitals, and children’s service agencies. The company’s objective is to help kids find their true superpower.

“We all are gifted at something. Our goal is to help kids believe in themselves and become who they want to become,” the father of four said.

Like most businesses, 4 The Kids Entertainment recently toiled through some tough growing pains navigating the pandemic. The company went through long stretches without any business. Although things slowed down with COVID-19, Eli a man of faith, acknowledged that sometimes a break is good and that he needed the break.

He used the time to refurbish and work on himself. The energetic Orlando native also concentrated on the company, including cleaning and repairing all equipment, training staff on properly sanitizing equipment, and initiated new safety protocols before and after every event.

Now that spring is in full swing, many families are eager to get out and have fun. This summer, all kids’ activities will have limited capacity and encourage social distancing and wearing masks. Experts say families still need to follow precautions, but that there are many activities that can be enjoyed with low risk. Eli is looking forward to the opportunity to entertain.

With COVID-19 cases declining, more people getting vaccinated every day and new relaxed Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention guidelines for fully vaccinated people, things are slowly getting back to normal.

“We have turned a corner,” said Dr. Vincent Hsu, an epidemiologist and Advent Health’s chief infection control officer. “The hospitalization numbers have definitely gone down, and I expect that they’re going to stay low.”

Eli is optimistic about the future and plans to remain on the cutting edge of children’s entertainment by listening to the needs of customers, and continuously increasing and evolving their entertainment services.

The company recently turned its logo into a character mascot named “Kid.” Kid is kindhearted, inspiring, driven, and dedicated to spreading his positive message to kids around the world.

Owner Eli Salhab

“We all are gifted at something. Our goal is to help kids believe in themselves and become who they want to become.”

—Eli Salhab