• Downingtown Local Pulse
  • Posts
  • 🏀 League Retires Jersey of Accident Victim | 📞 Human Needs Network Marks One Year | 🚒 Downingtown Honors First Responders

🏀 League Retires Jersey of Accident Victim | 📞 Human Needs Network Marks One Year | 🚒 Downingtown Honors First Responders

Downingtown Local Pulse Issue Sept 5th, 2025

Author

Chesco Sean
05 Sep

In partnership with

The Key to a $1.3 Trillion Opportunity

A new trend in real estate is making the most expensive properties obtainable. It’s called co-ownership, and it’s revolutionizing the $1.3T vacation home market.

The company leading the trend? Pacaso. Created by the founder behind a $120M prior exit, Pacaso turns underutilized luxury properties into fully-managed assets and makes them accessible to the broadest possible market.

The result? More than $1B in transactions and service fees, 2,000+ happy homeowners, and over $110m in gross profit to date for Pacaso.

With rapid international growth and 41% gross profit growth last year alone, Pacaso is hitting their stride. They even recently reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same VCs that backed Uber, eBay, and Venmo also backed Pacaso. Join them as a Pacaso shareholder before the opportunity ends September 18.

Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.

***Limited Summer Posting Schedule***

In Today’s Edition of Downingtown Local Pulse…

🤪 Joke of the day 😆

Where do polar bears keep their money? 

(Answer Below…)

Basketball League Retires Jersey of Teen Killed in Accident

DOWNINGTOWN, PA — Kevin Donohue, a 16-year-old student at Malvern Preparatory School and a beloved athlete in the Downingtown Heat basketball league, died Tuesday following a tragic crash on Route 322. The accident occurred when a deer struck by another vehicle was thrown into the car Donohue was riding in, fatally injuring him. The vehicle that first struck the deer left the scene and has not been identified, though police believe it was a black Toyota Sienna.

In the wake of the tragedy, the Downingtown Heat announced it would retire Donohue’s jersey number, calling him one of the league’s most respected and selfless players. Malvern Prep also expressed its condolences and is offering support to students and staff.

Human Needs Network Marks Year of Progress in Chester County

WEST CHESTER, PA — One year after launching its Human Needs Network, Chester County is seeing significant progress in its mental health and crisis response efforts. The initiative now handles 1,500 crisis calls monthly and deploys 150 mobile response teams, compared to just under 200 dispatches in all of 2023. Local officials credit the program with increasing voluntary treatment and providing more immediate, community-based care.

Downingtown Honors First Responders for Hurricane Ida Rescues


DOWNINGTOWN, PA — Volunteer firefighters and public works staff in Downingtown were formally recognized this week for their lifesaving efforts during Hurricane Ida, which brought catastrophic flooding to the area in 2021. Fire Chief Jack Law awarded commendation bars to first responders from Alert Fire Co. No. 1 and Minquas Fire Company No. 2, citing their involvement in approximately 180 water rescues.

Senator Carolyn Comitta presented state-level citations to members of those fire companies as well as the Downingtown Public Works Department, highlighting the collective effort required to respond to the crisis. The honorees were credited with rescuing residents from life-threatening floodwaters—actions seen as essential in minimizing casualties during one of the region’s most destructive storms in recent history.

17th Annual Caln Community Day Set for Saturday with Music, Dance, and Fireworks

CALN TWP — Caln Township will host its 17th Annual Community Day on Saturday, providing a packed schedule of performances, interactive exhibits, and community engagement. The event kicks off at 3:00 p.m. with live music and concludes with fireworks at 8:00 p.m.

Scheduled activities include dance and martial arts demonstrations, character visits, and a live performance by Jimmy Jorge and the Latin Express. Bubbletopia and the Rotary Club of Thorndale–Downingtown will host additional family-friendly programming, including bingo and a bubble show.

Two New Ways for Local Businesses to Shine in the Downingtown Local Pulse

Downingtown is built on the strength of its small businesses — the shops, restaurants, services, and makers that give our community its unique character. Now, there are two new ways for those businesses to get in front of thousands of engaged local readers through the Downingtown Local Pulse.

We’re introducing two promotional programs designed to give businesses year-round visibility and meaningful connections with our audience:

1. Partner Program

This package gives businesses a featured listing in our Local Business Directory, making it easy for residents to find and support you. Partners also receive:

  • A monthly Business Spotlight article that tells your story.

  • A pinned article on our website for maximum visibility.

  • Exposure to our massive Facebook audience, with each feature shared across our highly engaged social channels.

2. Patron Program

For businesses ready to take their visibility to the next level, the Patron Program includes everything in the Partner Program plus:

  • A top-level ad placement one issue a month, ensuring your brand stays front and center.

Both programs are built to keep your business in the local conversation month after month — not just as an ad, but as a valued part of the community’s story.

Whether you’re a family-run shop, a growing startup, or a well-established local favorite, these programs offer an affordable way to boost your visibility while supporting the Downingtown Local Pulse’s mission to celebrate the people and businesses that make our town special.

Building Business by Building Trust: Free Trade Networking’s Local Impact

DOWNINGTOWN, PA — In this episode, Jenny Leigh sits down with Pat Dicola, the visionary behind Free Trade Networking. Launched during the pandemic, Free Trade has grown from a small Zoom group into more than 30 in-person chapters across the region, including Downingtown. Unlike traditional networking groups, Free Trade emphasizes collaboration over quotas, one-member-per-category chapters, and strong ties to local nonprofits. The result is a community of small business owners who not only support each other but also give back—making Free Trade a fast-growing hub for both business and service in Chester County.

Upcoming local events…

Hoagie Gurus Lunch Event (West Chester) - Sept 6, 12pm-3pm

Pepper Palooza Downingtown (Kerr Park) - Sept 6, 9am-1pm

East Fallowfield Touch-a-Truck (East Fallowfield) - Sept 6, 10am-1pm

Chester County Catalina Wine Mixer (East Goshen) - Sept 6, 2pm

Labor and the Early PA Iron Industry (Pottstown) - Sept 6, 2pm-3:30pm

Hickory Park Teen Fest (Upper Uwchlan) - Sept 6, 2pm-5pm

17th Annual Caln Community Day (Thorndale) - Sept 6th, 3pm-8pm

Hot Wings N’ Wheels (Thorndale) - Sept 6th, 12pm-4pm

Cars and Coffee and Donuts (Downingtown) - Sept 13, 9am-11am

Kids’ Day in the Park (Bell Tavern Park) - Sept 13, 10am

Chesco Air Fest and Valley Day (Chester County Airport) - Sept 13, 11am-6pm

Corn Hole Benefit for Vets (Downingtown) - Sept 13, 1pm

Moondawgs Band at Shamona Creek Park (Uwchlan) - Sept 13, 5pm

Downingtown Library Horror Trivia Night (Downingtown) - Sept 19, 6:30pm-9:30pm

Chester County Art Walk (East Goshen Park) - Sept 27, 10am-4pm

Oktoberfest 2025 (West Chester) - Sept 27, 11am-5pm

VFW First Annual Fall Fest (Downingtown) - Sept 27, 2pm (ticketed)

Drive Out Hunger (Downingtown) - Sept 28, 11am-3pm

Kidz Town Fall Fest (CFC Downingtown) - Sept 28, 9:30am-11am

Road to LionCage (Downingtown) - Sept 30, 4pm-7pm

Household Hazardous Waste Collection (Downingtown) - Oct 5, 8:30am-2pm

Jeeps and Java! (West Chester) - Oct 5, 8am-12pm

Downingtown Fall Fest (Downingtown) - Oct 5, 11am-4pm

October Cruse for the Troops (Exton) - Oct 11, 5pm

Exton Park Fall Fest (Exton) - Oct 18, 11am-3pm


House Cleaning

🤪 Joke of the day 😆

Where do polar bears keep their money? 

In a snow bank ❄️

Have you subscribed yet? Join over 4,000 Downingtown residents and keep updated with Downingtown Local Pulse!

We could use your help

We’ve got big plans as we get up to speed! But we need your help!

One huge way that you can help us is to spread the word for us.

Know somebody who lives in Downingtown and would benefit from being kept in the know?

Please share Downingtown Local Pulse with them! It’s simple! 👇👇👇

Catch up on previous issues…

Reply

or to participate.