quick Internet search for the word “impact” will bring you to a definition about the strong effect on someone or something. For those that know Mike Pallas, especially the 800-900 young men who have spent time at the farm division of the Omaha Home for Boys,
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“impact” is the perfect word to describe him. Pallas’ impact in the lives of these young men for almost four decades makes him a worthy recipient of the 2023 Show Times Hall of Fame honor. Pallas retired from his farm manager position with the home after 39 years and some change. During that time, he left a lasting impact in countless ways. He used livestock and livestock shows as a tool to help build boys into men and made the world a much better place for youth from troubled and chaotic homes. The Omaha Home for Boys is located on the outskirts of Omaha, Nebraska and one of its components is the farm and Valley View 4-H Club, the oldest continuous 4-H club in the state, dating back to its beginning in 1948. Growing up in Lawrence, Nebraska, Pallas showed lambs and raised hogs as a young boy. He began working in the fields for his uncle at 12-years-old and that sealed his love for agriculture and is what led him to join the home in 1982 and retire in 2022. “The place began to grow on me, and I stayed. If you showed the boys you cared, they responded favorably. Many had never had a father in their life and the farm provided stability and taught them so many life skills. I made it a point from the beginning to not eat breakfast at my house on the farm, but to join them,” he shared as he reflected on the relationships he built over the years. When Pallas first arrived, the farm was in disarray and he recalls spending about three years cleaning it up, repairing fences and buildings. When he first joined the staff there
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