“Here’s to the land of the longleaf pine.”
This is the first line of a poem called “The Old North State,” written by Leonora Monterio Martin in 1904 and then adopted by the North Carolina General Assembly as the official toast of North Carolina half a century later.
Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine,
The summer land where the sun doth shine,
Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great,
Here’s to “Down Home,” the Old North State!
The longleaf pine is an enduring representation of the state, not only for its symbolism throughout North Carolina history, but also its strength. Pines are notoriously resilient. They adapt to all weather conditions, the extremes of heat and cold. No matter the soil, no matter the conditions, they can grow, adapt and thrive.
A strong, healthy North Carolina is dependent on the field of social work and this Coalition exists to strengthen that field. When we’re strong, North Carolina is strong. What happens when North Carolina’s children and families are strong? They can realize their own dreams, participate in the world around them, make their own difference and strengthen the state in their own ways.
This is one reason we’ve chosen the pinecone as part of the visual representation for this Coalition – the tree’s cones open and seed the ground below them, just as social workers across our state connect with the communities to meet the most pressing needs – just as this Coalition will aim to impact every corner of the state by helping to diversify and expand the mental and behavioral health and child welfare workforce.
We’re excited to talk about and promote the amazing work happening from the collective strength and skill of so many social work leaders in our state and continue to tell that story of what happens when we all work together for a stronger, more resilient North Carolina.
