The Julie Hait Adler Scholarship
Introducing the Julie Hait Adler Scholarship, a project of the Team Peri Foundation. In partnership with Adelphi University, the scholarship will be created in memory of Julie Hait Adler, with all of the funds being allocated to the Levermore Global Scholars program (LGS). Peri is a product of LGS at Adelphi, an elite undergraduate program focusing on global citizenship, leadership, and social responsibility, as she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Marketing, with honors and LGS distinction. The LGS program shaped, encouraged, and gave Peri the tools to get on the path of becoming a leader and a voice for social change. The LGS program allowed Peri
to find her place within Adelphi, where she self-started the “Team Peri Step Out of Line” podcast, went on to complete her MBA, and the list goes on. It is because of LGS’s mentorship and encouragement that she, herself found her voice.
LGS offers students interdisciplinary coursework, hands-on experiences, and community engagement opportunities to address global challenges. Participants gain skills, cultural understanding, and leadership qualities to become effective global citizens. This scholarship that we are establishing will help students develop global awareness, leadership skills, social responsibility, intercultural competence, civic engagement, networking abilities, adaptability, research skills, and personal growth. All these values align greatly with protecting the planet to make the world a better place. Levermore Global Scholar students are changemakers in their own right and that is what the Team Peri Foundation is all about.
Julie Hait Adler was a close family friend of Team Peri who sadly passed away in November 2023 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. Julie was a leader herself, unbeknownst to her, as she exemplified kindness, acceptance, and advocacy both in her personal and professional life as a speech therapist. As a young girl, whenever Peri was in and out of the hospital for weeks and even months on end, Julie was there for the entire family. She took care of Peri’s siblings (Katy & Joel) as if they were her own, tracked down a specific toy, blanket, or anything that Peri needed or wanted, made home-cooked meals for the Finkelstein family without giving it another thought, and so much more. It is difficult to describe a woman who made such a huge impact on Team Peri. Julie came and supported all of our Team Peri events and was always in Peri’s corner. Julie was full of gratitude, devotion, optimism, love and kindness that she shared with every person she came in contact with. People admired her dignity, wit and ability to say just the right thing at just the right time. Julie treated every one of her family and friends as if they were her top priority until the day she passed away. Team Peri’s connection with The Adler Family extends to her children as well, as their eldest daughter, Rikki, who was Peri’s older sister Katy’s best friend growing up, later on became, Peri’s ‘big sister’ and camp counselor at a travel camp for children with severe medical challenges. Julie leaves behind her husband, her four children, her extended family, and a community that loved her deeply. Julie was a changemaker. Julie was a leader by example. Julie made the world a better place just by simply being in it.
The scholarship will be set up with Adelphi University as an endowment and will be set for perpetuity for all Levermore Global Scholar students to benefit from for years to come if we can reach our goal. Our mission is to be able to build a scholarship that can help alleviate the burden of education costs for as many students as possible, as well as encourage student participation in
research projects involving global topics such as climate change, poverty, migration, human rights, and international conflict. Our goal is to fundraise $25,000, and when we successfully hit that mark, Adelphi University will match that donation and will put into place a yearly scholarship in perpetuity, to be awarded to a worthy student who has met the criteria set forth by the LGS program, Adelphi, and this scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded to students with a 3.6 GPA or higher and to someone who has faced and overcome a challenge in their own life.
In honor of Julie and The Adler Family, help us make this happen, so that the legacy of Julie Hait Adler, her beautiful heart, sweet smile, strong advocacy, and unconditional encouragement that she undeniably bestowed to her friends, family, and community will live on.
You might have thought that it was going to be difficult to top our 1 Million Dollar campaign which evolved over the past fifteen years and so did we. This latest Team Peri Foundation project is one that will have a lasting impact on the Adelphi University community and is one that is very close to our hearts.
We are the Team Peri Foundation and we are here to Step Out of Line.
Join us in completing this mission for Julie, One Step at a Time.