WAILUKU, Maui — The Nisei veterans who fought in World War II now have a "living memorial" on Maui that provides care and activities for young children and the elderly while ensuring the soldiers' valor and community contributions are not forgotten.

Supporters say the newly opened, $4 million nonprofit Nisei Veterans Memorial Center and its intergenerational programs recognize the deep value the Nisei veterans — second-generation Japanese-Americans — place on life, family and community. One wing of the building houses a daycare program for 53 seniors that opened last week in a 3,800-square-foot space.

The Kansha Preschool will open today in an adjoining wing with 1,300 square feet of space for 16 children. Enrollment in both programs is open to the public.

Charlene Doi runs the preschool, whose Japanese name loosely translates to "gratitude." She said one of the main reasons she took the job is because her father, Earl Tanaka, served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, one of the famed Nisei units comprising soldiers from Hawai'i and Mainland internment camps. Tanaka was involved in planning the center before he died in 1997.

"He would be really pleased because he really took pride in being a Nisei veteran," she said.

Working alongside Doi is Leigh Racadio, whose grandfather, Noburu Orikasa, also was a member of the 442nd.

Along with the Hawai'i-born Nisei soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd saw some of the fiercest battles in Italy and France, with both groups among the most highly decorated in Army history. The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center also honors soldiers who served as translators and intelligence officers in the Military Intelligence Service. They are credited with helping shorten the war in the Pacific.

In addition to their bravery on the battlefield, the Nisei veterans helped stem the tide of racial distrust that swept the country following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Doi said she hopes to learn more about the Nisei veterans and share that knowledge with the preschoolers. "We know about our family, but I want to learn from the other people. If we're not able to pass it on, it's going to get lost," she said.

The center's adult daycare component, operated by Maui Adult Day Care Centers, is the first in the state designed for "high-functioning" seniors with early-stage Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia who need some supervision, but not at the level required in a traditional daycare environment.

Sandy Freeman, executive director of Maui Adult Day Care Centers, said many seniors in that position resist enrolling in daycare programs because they feel they don't belong at centers that accept advanced-stage dementia patients.

"This program looks good to them and it feels comfortable to them. It's better than being home," she said.

Family members benefit from the respite and peace of mind knowing that "mom and dad aren't just sitting at home watching TV and falling asleep, with no mental stimulation," she said.

Some of that stimulation will come from daily activities with the preschoolers.

Marion Beavers, 91, of Pukalani, said she enjoys the chair aerobics class and is looking forward to the arrival of a piano so she can play music. "This is a lovely place. I'm so good and rested here," she said.

Planning for the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center began nearly 25 years ago with Leonard Oka, whose father, Clarence "Hekka" Oka, was a member of the 442nd. Alexander & Baldwin donated two acres for the project at the bottom of Lower Main Street in Wailuku. The center also received support from state, county and private grants, and from engineering, design and construction firms and other businesses, many with connections to Nisei veterans.

The state contributed $1.5 million for the adult daycare facility.

Nisei Veterans Memorial Center President Hiroshi Arisumi said the project isn't done yet. An education building, which he called the "heart and soul" of the center, will hold documents, artifacts and oral histories of the Nisei soldiers, including family letters and scrapbooks.

The building also will be used as a place to educate high school and college students about what the veterans endured and what they stood for, said memorial center Executive Director Barbara Watanabe.

Other groups collaborating on the memorial center project over the years include the Maui's Sons and Daughters of Nisei Veterans, Maui 442nd Veterans Club, Maui AJA Veterans Inc., Maui 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Club, Veterans of the Military Intelligence Service, and the West Maui AJA Veterans Inc.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.