Bradwell Park was awash in pink October 22 — and for good reason and a good cause.

Paint Liberty Pink took over the park, celebrating the fight against breast cancer. The Paint Liberty Pink movement is the brainchild of local realtor Kathy Villafane, who wanted to do something to pay homage to her sister Brenda Norris. Norris lost her fight with breast cancer in 2019.

“I reached out to Karen Bell and said I wanted to do something small to honor my sister,” Villafane said. “I then reached out to Leah Poole. By the end of the day, we had a proclamation ready for the city and the county. And that’s how Paint Liberty Pink came into existence.”

Hinesville Mayor Karl Riles and Liberty County Commission Chairman Donald Lovette each signed a proclamation declaring October 22 as Paint Liberty Pink Day in both the city and the county.

Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer the second-leading cause of death among women. An estimated 222,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and approximately 40,000 die from it annually.

“We recognize those courageously fighting breast cancer and recognize breast cancer survivors and applaud the efforts of our medical professional and researchers,” Mayor Riles said.

Thursday’s Paint Liberty Pink was the first time it was a standalone event. Usually, it piggybacks on the weekly farmer’s market. But this time, it was held in conjunction with no other event, and the park took on a pink hue, since pink is the color of breast cancer awareness.

“It was meant to be,” Villafane said. “Look at the turnout. Every time I look up, I’m in tears, because it’s so overwhelming. But I took my pain and turned it into a purpose. The purpose is to educate our community, let everyone know that early detection is key and also let everyone know that men get breast cancer.”

Villafane’s sister wanted to move to Liberty County, “but God had other plans,” Villafane said. “If she knew what was going on, she would be tickled pink. She loved Liberty County.”

As part of the event was a tribute board where names of survivors and those who didn’t survive could be posted, and survivors also were honored at the event. Villafane encouraged the survivors to keep fighting and also urged getting tested and early detection.

“We have to continue to educate one another to get rid of this terrible disease,” she said. “The movement is growing and getting bigger.”