About Us

Mission

Our mission is to engage disadvantaged youths in an active and healthy lifestyle and lay the foundation for success academically and personally. We will partner with local schools, coaches and volunteers in various communities and introduce them to the sport of tennis. Our volunteer coaches will provide free equipment and training to the community coaches and teachers. We know that our schools and communities struggle with budgets for athletics and after school activities. Our goal is to help them provide these types of activities for their youths and contribute to the overall health of a community through the joy of learning and playing tennis.

Board of Directors

Dan Cardiff, Executive Director
Growing up in the East Bay Area, Dan is very connected to the region. A product of Lafayette schools, the expectation was to excel in academia and athletics. There were many opportunities and resources to do so. He was fortunate to play division 1 tennis and also run track and field and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. After four years there, he went back home to the Bay Area to peruse his multiple subject teaching credential. What he learned quickly was that not all students in the East Bay are expected to be excellent in school and sport. The opportunities were not the same. In fact, they were drastically different. After teaching 1st and 4th grade in the Fruitvale district of Oakland for one year, with the help of family and friends, Dan started Rally For Reading. His students were his inspiration, their excitement towards tennis when the class would play in the school yard was something that should be shared with all. The driving force behind R4R is that everyone should be able to play tennis and have access to learning tools. This is something that all of our board firmly believe in.

Dan also draws inspiration from the students and coaches that he worked with in high school, while volunteering at Youth Tennis Advantage at the UC Berkeley campus. Without them, he never would have been inspired to start Rally For Reading.

Scott Danish, Board Treasurer
Scott Danish serves as the Rally for Reading Board Treasurer and is responsible for financial management and oversight as it aligns with the organization’s overall mission. In the business world, Scott is an accomplished entrepreneur. As the President and co-owner of BayCreative he runs an award-winning full-service B2B marketing agency, and as the co-founder/CMO of The Zone Lab, he markets mental toughness and high performance coaching for purpose-driven women and their male allies. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Scott held senior-level marketing positions at leading Bay Area technology companies including Cisco, CNET Networks, PeopleSoft (Now Oracle) and PC World Communications. An avid tennis player and community volunteer since his early teens, Scott is excited to combine his love for the sport, with his desire to improve the lives of disadvantaged young students.

Krysten Nguyen, Board Secretary
Avid tennis and pickleball player, years on the board of Marin Charity

Brent De Groot, Board Member
Brent earned his Professional 1 rating with the USPTA in 1991 and has been a force in the tennis professional community ever since. In 2016, Brent and his daughter Sophie achieved a year-end ranking of #17 in the nation in the Father Daughter Doubles category. Brent has also served as one of the Bay Area Board of Directors for the Joy of Sports Foundation, a non-profit organization bringing tennis to inner-city children through the Boys and Girls Clubs in San Francisco. He brings a wealth of knowledge to Rally For Reading as well as a passion for tennis.

Vittorio Fratta, Board Member
Prior to joining Cedar Wealth, Vittorio was a senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at EBS Asset Management. His experience includes co-managing a $2.5 billion institutional equity portfolio at ICC Capital Management, and lead analyst at KCM Asset Management, a global equity hedge fund.

Vittorio’s education includes an MBA, with a concentration in Finance and a Bachelor in Business Administration from Stetson University where he obtained a double major in Finance and International Business. He has been a CFA® charterholder since 2008. He was also a ranked Division 1 tennis player in singles and doubles.

In his free time Vittorio enjoys playing tennis competitively and traveling.

Participating Schools

ASCEND TK-8 School
Dewey Academy
Greenfield Elementary
Grass Valley Elementary School
Laurel Elementary School
North Oakland Community Charter School

Please contact us if your school is interested in aligning with Rally 4 Reading.

Corporate Donors

Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about our corporate donor packages.

Club and Retail Donors

Orinda Country Club
Blackhawk Country Club
Rancho Colorados Swim and Tennis Club
Marin Tennis Club
Belvedere Tennis Club
Rafael Racquet Club
Moraga Tennis Club
Plaza Tennis Albany

Please contact us if your club is interested in learning more about our donor packages.