Your voice could be heard 100 years from now: LifeScape invites community to be part of time capsule

This piece is sponsored by LifeScape.

What would you say if you knew your words would be heard 100 years from now?

That’s the question behind a unique project LifeScape is bringing to Sioux Falls and Rapid City, and it’s inviting the entire community to take part.

As part of a time capsule tied to its new Children’s Campus, LifeScape is launching “The Living Voice of LifeScape in 2026,” a video project designed to capture real perspectives from today and preserve them for generations to come.

“This is about more than a time capsule,” said Steve Watkins, CEO of LifeScape.

“It’s about capturing the voices, experiences and hopes of the people who make LifeScape what it is today and sharing that with the future. One hundred years from now, this will give people a window into not just what we did, but who we were.”

From the first groundbreaking in 1948 of then Crippled Children’s Hospital & School to now, LifeScape has grown alongside the communities it serves.

From its early beginnings of helping kids with polio to the days of Sioux Vocational where adults with developmental disabilities were given the support needed to live their best life, LifeScape has touched tens of thousands of people. Its impact is truly remarkable.

Today, LifeScape provides a full continuum of care across a lifespan, supporting children and adults through specialty hospital services, outpatient therapies, residential programs, education, employment services and community-based supports. All centered around one mission: empowering people to live their best life.

As the organization prepares to open its new Children’s Campus, the time capsule project serves as both a reflection point and a forward-looking milestone. “We’re at a really meaningful moment in our history,” Watkins said. “We’re building for the future while honoring everything that has brought us here. This project allows us to capture that exact moment in time, in the voices of the people experiencing it.”

The cornerstone where the LifeScape time capsule will be kept

Participants will be invited to sit down for a short, guided recording session, just 20 minutes, where they’ll respond to four simple but meaningful questions. No preparation is needed, and each response is meant to be just a few minutes long.

“We wanted this to feel approachable and authentic,” said Leah Orsack, director of marketing. “You don’t need to have the perfect words. This isn’t about being polished. It’s about capturing real voices, real experiences and what LifeScape truly means to people right now.”

While LifeScape staff and families are encouraged to participate, the project is designed intentionally to reflect the full community that surrounds the organization. That includes people supported, families, employees, donors, board members, community partners and advocates, anyone who has a connection to LifeScape’s story.

“This time capsule isn’t just about LifeScape as an organization — it’s about the people who have shaped it,” said Jessica Wells, president of the LifeScape Foundation. “Our donors, partners and community members have been part of building this mission for generations. This is a powerful way to ensure their voices and contributions are remembered as part of that legacy.”

Recording sessions will take place in Sioux Falls on June 2-3, with additional sessions in Rapid City on June 9-10. Spots are limited, and participants are asked to sign up by May 31.

The recordings will become part of LifeScape’s time capsule, a collection of stories, artifacts and moments that reflect the organization and how far it has come. But more than that, it’s a way to preserve something often lost to time: perspective.

“Technology will change. The way we deliver care will continue to evolve. Even our buildings will look different,” Orsack said. “But what won’t change is the heart behind this work. Capturing that in people’s own words is what makes this so meaningful and truly special.”

For Wells, the project is about connections across generations. “One hundred years from now, someone will open this and hear directly from the people who were here, the people who believed in this mission,” she said. “That’s incredibly powerful.”

Those interested in being part of the project can sign up for a 20-minute time slot by visiting LifeScapeSD.org.

Because 100 years from now, someone will be listening.

And it could be your voice telling the story.