A Second World War Veteran and member of The Royal Canadian Legion (RCL) for more than 57 years, Mr. Shanks is also a life member of the Somme Branch No. 31 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Over the years, Mr. Shanks has held various executive positions within his local Branch. A successful fund-raiser for more than 40 years, he has raised thousands of dollars for the RCL. Mr. Shanks is devoted to the well-being of Veterans and always makes himself available to assist them with various requests. Mr. Shanks attends as many funerals of his fellow Veterans as he possibly can. He is always ready and able to offer his assistance to grieving family members. As Associate Director of the Juno Beach Centre for Atlantic Canada for the past three years, Mr. Shanks has spent countless hours raising funds for the Juno Beach Centre in France. He has personally raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through corporate and political donations, and through the sale of memorial bricks for Veterans. He worked tirelessly 12 to 14 hour days to help bring this formidable project to fruition. Mr. Shanks has spent numerous hours assisting Wal-Mart managers with their fund-raising efforts, and has attended the opening day ceremonies for newly constructed Wal-Mart stores, at which he has spoken publicly to support their efforts in this very worthwhile campaign.