Trinity Dental Clinic is turning 20, and it's celebrating with a costume party. The Maryville nonprofit, which has provided more than 30,000 patient visits to uninsured and underserved adults since opening in April 2006, will host its 20th annual Trinity Fall Costume Ball on Saturday, October 24, at White Star Station in downtown Maryville.
The 21-and-over fundraiser asks guests to show up in their favorite costumes for an afternoon of food, entertainment and community, according to The Daily Times. A limited silent auction featuring items donated by local businesses and community supporters will run alongside the party, with tickets available through the clinic's Fall Ball page on Zeffy. All proceeds directly support the clinic's mission of providing affordable dental care to adults who otherwise couldn't get it.
The clinic traces its roots to a 2005 community project created by a class of the Leadership Blount development program, according to Leadership Blount. At the time, Blount County nurses had identified dentistry as one of the county's largest unmet healthcare needs, and the clinic opened its doors the following year to address the gap. It now operates from 1127 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, offering exams, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures and other essential services, along with specialized initiatives for older adults, veterans and other vulnerable populations.
From Volunteer to Executive Director
Leading that effort today is Danielle Reggio, a Maryville College graduate who first began volunteering in Trinity Dental Clinic's clinical department in 2010 and later became a Registered Dental Assistant. She stepped into the executive director role in 2024 after previously working at New Hope Children's Advocacy Center, per the Knoxville Voyager. Reggio can be reached directly at 865-406-1522 or [email protected] for anyone with questions about the ball or the clinic's services.
To qualify for adult dental care at Trinity, patients must live in Blount County, be at least 18 years old, and demonstrate financial need through programs such as Supplemental Security Income, food stamps or public housing vouchers, according to Tennessee Disability Pathfinder. The clinic also partners with local dental hygiene student programs for seasonal spring and fall cleaning sessions supervised by clinic dentists.
A Budget Stretched by Grants and Community Giving
Running a safety-net clinic isn't cheap. Financial profile data compiled by Cause IQ for fiscal year 2024 showed Trinity Dental recorded $378,196 in total revenue against $433,746 in total expenses. The clinic operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and events like the costume ball support its mission.
A $20,000 United Way grant supports a dental collaboration for dialysis patients. The collaboration provides free care to address needs that could affect transplant eligibility.
Why a Free Clinic Still Matters After Medicaid Expansion
Tennessee expanded TennCare Medicaid coverage to include adult dental benefits for enrollees 21 and older starting January 1, 2023, marking the first time the state covered routine adult dental care rather than largely emergency procedures only, per official state records. But clinics like Trinity continue to serve adults who otherwise could not access affordable dental care.
The stakes of going without are more than cosmetic. Trinity has spent two decades providing dental care to underserved adults in Maryville.
The celebration also fits a broader pattern of major Blount County nonprofits marking milestones at the same historic venue. The Appalachian Ballet Company's 55th-anniversary ball had been scheduled at White Star Station for Friday, September 25, 2026, underscoring the building's role as a community gathering spot. Constructed in the early 1900s, the building once housed Maryville's first bus service, the White Star Bus Line, starting in 1926, and later a Sterchi Brothers store, before being restored into an event venue in 2015, according to Blount Tourism.
