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DOWNINGTOWN, PA — A Child’s Light, a Downingtown-based nonprofit that provides fast access to mental health care for children who have survived severe trauma, is expanding into Montgomery County through a clinical partnership with coeo Therapy of Collegeville.

Subsidized youth mental health care in the region often carries waitlists of several months. A Child’s Light sidesteps that by paying a network of licensed, trauma-informed private therapists directly and funding a child’s first 12 sessions, roughly three months of care, up front. Some children can begin treatment within five days.

Founder and executive director Leslie Holt said the move is a step toward making the program a regional model, stressing that children in crisis can’t afford to wait. State court data show about 1,228 child abuse cases were filed in Montgomery County between 2019 and 2023.

coeo Therapy, founded in 2023 by Kristen Czech and Colleen Valerio, focuses on whole-person, root-cause healing. Its founders said the partnership allows them to reach families early and without financial barriers. A Child’s Light has been operating since 2019; details are at childslight.com.

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CALN TWP — Caln Township commissioners will hold a public hearing on Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. on a veterinarian’s request to open a 9,600-square-foot practice at 2350 Warren Avenue, in the township’s industrial district. The application is pending, and the board may approve it with conditions, deny it, or continue the hearing.

Dr. Meghan Furey is seeking conditional-use approval to open a 9,600-square-foot veterinary office at 2350 Warren Avenue in Caln Township. The property is in the township’s I-1 Industrial District, so commissioners must decide whether the proposed use meets the township’s conditional-use standards under its 2026 Zoning Ordinance.

EXTON, PA — The Picklr, a Utah-based indoor pickleball franchise with more than 70 clubs nationwide, including one in Exton, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Texas on Oct. 9. The operators of its Exton and Newark, Del., clubs had filed their own Chapter 11 petitions on Sept. 24.

The company says every location remains open and is operating normally. The independently owned club in Newtown, Bucks County, is not affected, according to its co-owner.

Founded in 2021, The Picklr began franchising in 2023 and grew quickly. Its chief executive, Jorge Barragan, said the company had guaranteed leases for about 40 early locations, a burden that fell on the parent company, and that bankruptcy would help it renegotiate with landlords. The Picklr lost $4.4 million in 2025 on $10.3 million in revenue, with liabilities of about $19 million by March 2026.

Dynamus Alliance, an investor group led by franchisee Tom Neale, has committed $4.8 million in financing to fund the reorganization and would sponsor the company’s restructuring. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia region’s indoor pickleball market keeps growing, with roughly two dozen clubs now open. Full story at Philadelphia Business Journal

UWCHLAN TWP — Uwchlan Township has closed Deep Willow Drive between West Devon Drive and Woodland Drive for repaving, starting Oct. 19 and continuing until the work is done. Crews work from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; residents keep access to their homes but are encouraged to park on West Devon Drive.

Upcoming local events…

Upper Uwchlan Trunk or Treat (Pickering Valley ES) - Oct 24, 3pm-5pm
Halloween Race (Shamona Park) - Oct 24, 3:30pm-5:30pm

Trick or Treat on Main Street (Downingtown) - Oct 25, 10am-1pm
Monsters, Masks and Milkweed (Exton) - Oct 25, 1pm-3pm
Farmhouse Museum Open House At Upland Farm - Oct 25, 1pm-4pm

Caln Halloween Party (Thorndale) - Oct 31, 1pm-3pm
Trick, Treats, and Eats (Wagenseller Park) - Oct 31, 3pm-5pm

Historic Yellow Springs Fall Fest (Chester Springs) - Nov 1st, 12pm-4pm

Catch up on previous issues…

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