Happy Friday and Alta du Toit show what it means to be Forever Young

That was the starting point for Happy Friday’s latest print campaign for Alta du Toit, a home for adults with intellectual disabilities. The campaign reminds people that while residents like Anneke, Charlotte, Emile, Danny and Elise may grow older in years, their spirit remains forever young, and just as deserving of care and support.

A truth that never grows old

An intellectual disability doesn’t just delay development. It freezes the mind in time. While the body ages, the sense of wonder and openness remain unchanged.

“Instead of creating a campaign that leaned on pity or stereotypes, we wanted to hold up a mirror to the residents’ joy.” says Jonathan Wolberg, executive creative director at Happy Friday. “These were not staged moments. What you see is real laughter, real discovery, and real magic.”

From insight to image

The campaign rolled out as five compelling print ads, each capturing a resident in a moment of unfiltered delight. Together, they carried the powerful message that being forever young should also mean being forever supported – with a clear call to donate.

The campaign was unveiled at a launch event that left many in the audience visibly moved, before being published in the Financial Mail and The Star, and later shared on Alta du Toit’s Instagram page.

Fu’aad Kasu, creative director at Happy Friday, recalls: “At the launch event, I watched people encounter the work for the very first time. You could see it on their faces. The laughter, the tears, the recognition of something pure and human. That’s when we knew the campaign had done its job. It had made people feel.”

Proof that joy inspires giving

Within just a few weeks of launch, the campaign helped raise nearly R1m in donor pledges. As both an Alta du Toit board member and the father of Danny, one of the campaign’s featured residents, Petrus Marais shared: “We saw not just donations, but a shift in perception. People began to see our residents not as patients, but as people full of joy who deserve lifelong support.”

The team behind Forever Young

Client: Alta du Toit

Agency: Happy Friday
ECD: Jonathan Wolberg
Creative director: Fu’aad Kasu
Copywriters: Shannon Miller, Laeeqah Cassim
Art director: Leándre Nel
Designer: Nonjabuliso Mazini
Client service: Carla Reid and Shameen Matthews-Green

Photographer: Frances Marais
Retoucher: Frances Marais
Art director: Shelly Bergh
Photography assistants: Abel Mwanza and Tshepo Rancho

Special thanks to: Petrus Marais, Frances Marais, the Alta du Toit board and staff, for their generous donation of time, passion and expertise.