Boot scootin' with the Visionaries

Before Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center even opened, a special group of ladies embraced the vision for a children’s hospital in Central Texas and worked to make it a reality.

How it started

In 2008, the need to expand children’s healthcare in Temple was clear. At the time, pediatric hospital services were housed on the fourth floor of Scott & White Memorial Hospital, now known as Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple. Space limitations at the hospital often meant children had to be referred out to Austin, Dallas or Houston.

The Scott & White Board of Trustees reached out to women leaders in the Temple community to form a group that would work to raise funds for the children’s hospital. In 2008, the group hosted the inaugural Visionaries Ball, which raised $450,000.

In 2009, our system acquired the former Kings Daughter’s Hospital, which would later become McLane Children’s. While construction was underway to retrofit the facility, the Visionaries continued their fundraising efforts with eight major events in one year, raising $650,000.

That hard work soon paid off. With the help of the Visionaries and many generous donors in the community—including Drayton McLane Jr. and his family—McLane Children’s opened its doors in 2011. 

How it’s going

The Visionaries now host a major fundraiser every other year, with the first Boots & Bandanas event taking place in 2013. Over the years, the group has raised funds for vital equipment, including a digital blood irradiator, a VECTA sensory station, an ambulance and a C-arm imaging device.

Some of the Visionaries’ work has even helped launch new services at McLane Children’s. In 2015, the group funded hemodialysis machines, which helped introduce the dialysis program. This year, they raised more than half a million dollars to fund equipment for the new cardiovascular surgery program under development.

“We are so grateful to the Visionaries of the past, present and future,” said Lori Luppino, CFRE, president of Baylor Scott & White Central Texas Foundation. “This group works hard to ensure a healthy future for every child in Central Texas, and their impact is incredible.”

Boots & Bandanas More than 550 guests enjoyed a Schoepf’s BBQ dinner, dancing and some of the greatest hits by legendary country band Diamond Rio at Boots & Bandanas on May 4, hosted by the Visionaries. A special thank you to Fikes/CEFCO, KCEN, Monteith Abstract & Title Company, McLane Company and all our generous donors who helped raise over $550,000 to purchase a pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass machine that serves as a temporary heart during procedures that require the heart to be stopped, like open-heart surgeries. See more photos 2024 Kristi Phillips (Chair) Heather Bates Kacie Beevers Cindy Bittenbinder Melissa Bohannon Jordan Castillo Linda Chupik Michelle DiGaetano Karen Fredenburg Brooke Helmig Megan Kiella Lori Luppino Melissa Mullins Shannon Myers Melissa Navarro Maria Posey Ariane Secrest Julie Schramm Jewelya Stafford Sharla Winkler Juli Woodward