SALT LAKE CITY — Amy Garff proudly represented the Garff family and Ken Garff for Good as a torchbearer during the Olympic Torch Run for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on February 4.
The Garff family participation aligns with their involvement with Podium34, a platform for philanthropic families and organizations to highlight causes they support during the lead-up to the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Garffs are reinforcing their long-standing commitment to education and drawing attention to literacy achievement and expanded access to higher education as essential outcomes for Utah’s future.
Robert Garff, chairman of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, once said, “Education is the great differentiator; it allows students of all ages to reach greater levels of understanding in our world.”
While reflecting on this torch-carrying Olympic moment, Amy Garff said, “Today, we honor Robert and Kathi’s Olympic legacy by continuing to cast light on the importance of education in making our world a better place.”
She also said, “The Olympic and Paralympic values of excellence, respect, and friendship, alongside determination, inspiration, courage, and equality, pair perfectly with the goals of education. We hope to encourage these values in ways that will allow the students of Utah to achieve excellence. We are excited to invite the students and families of Utah to celebrate these games within their state, country, and world. We hope that by emphasizing our sameness and by respecting our differences, we can all embrace more fully the magnificent tapestry of people and cultures throughout the world.”
Ken Garff for Good
Through Ken Garff for Good, the Garff family has focused its philanthropic work on improving literacy outcomes and expanding pathways to higher education for Utah students. These efforts center on the belief that early reading proficiency is foundational to long-term academic achievement and that every student, regardless of background, should have a viable opportunity to pursue postsecondary education. The family’s education work supports schools, educators and community partners working toward measurable literacy gains and increased college and career readiness.