Pink was the new orange and blue outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters, police officers and about 300 people clad in pink gathered on the lawn north of the stadium from 2 to 6 p.m. for the 2011 Pink Heals Tour.
The North Florida Pink Heals Initiative hosted the event, which was one stop of the nationwide tour.
The tour consists of a parade of pink fire trucks, signed by women affected by cancer, that travel across the United States and inspire communities to help local women.
Dave Graybill, founder of the Pink Heals Tour, is a retired firefighter, former professional baseball player and U.S. Olympian. He began the Pink Heals Tour five years ago in his Arizona home.
"I wanted to start an organization by the people, for the people," Graybill said. "One hundred percent of the profits raised stay in the community and go toward cancer relief organizations."
Attendees raised money for the Pink Heals Fund of the Southeastern Healthcare Foundation, which benefits local women suffering from cancer.
Participating agencies sold "Pink Heals" T-shirts and auctioned everything from a Gators baseball cap to a football signed by Head Football Coach Will Muschamp.
Gator's Caters, Domino's Pizza, Beef'O'Brady's and other partner companies joined the fund-raising efforts by selling food and drinks.
Celebrations began with a pink fire truck parade at Shands at UF, where the North Florida Pink Heals Initiative "showed women suffering from cancer that we are there for them," said Kevin Rulapaugh, event coordinator and secretary of Fire Rescue Professionals of Alachua County.
The North Florida Pink Heals Initiative, composed of 15 departments and agencies including Alachua County Fire Rescue, the University Police and Bradford County EMS, organized the event, which seeks to carry on the vision of Graybill.
Graybill said he believes that the Pink Heals Tour is more than a fundraising effort. It is, as he puts it, "a celebration of women, the glue of our society."
Pink firetrucks sit on the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium north lawn as part of the Pink Heals Tour Wednesday afternoon. The trucks made their way to Gainesville from Glendale, Ariz., to raise awareness for breast cancer.
