Newly constructed resource center opens at Nisei Veterans Memorial Center

A blessing and grand opening event was held over the weekend for the newly constructed Stanley Izumigawa Resource Center at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center in Wailuku, Maui. The new SIRC will allow the center to double its space for visitors, workshops, and research requests.

The Stanley Izumigawa Resource Center is located at the spot formerly known as the Stanley Izumigawa Pavilion. 

According to the NVMC, the center welcomes more than 3,000 visitors annually, and receives more than 300 requests for research.

“Demand for the Center has outpaced available space. The new Resource Center will allow the NVMC to double its capacity for exhibits, research and workshops. With a state of the art AV and sound system, the NVMC will be able to increase their virtual reach and provide a tech savvy space for other community organizations,” according to an event announcement.

“The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center inspires people to find the hero within themselves. We do this by sharing the stories of our soldiers and using the Center as a place where people from all backgrounds and beliefs can gather to find common ground. We encourage all who come through our doors to carry on the same values and commitment to community that our veterans have modeled for us,” according to the NVMC.

The center also manages one of Hawaiʻi’s few intergenerational centers which includes Kansha Preschool and Maui Adult Day Care Center. The NVMC provides local and global partnerships and exchanges through schools statewide and higher education institutions in Hawaiʻi and Japan.

As part of Saturday’s celebration, the drummers of Zenshin Daiko, which includes great grandchildren of Maui’s Nisei veterans, provided entertainment.

Among the dignitaries in attendance were: Governor David and first lady Dawn Amano-Ige; Mayor Michael Victorino and his wife Joycelyn Victorino; members of the Maui State and House delegation; and WWII Veteran Masao Motooka. 

The event coincided with the NVMC’s newest exhibit titled “Internment: Maui’s Stories.”