Almost 40 years ago, Crystal Lake Central High School was shaken by the death of 16-year-old Tigers basketball player Alan Jerousek. Ever since, his family has been quietly donating money to the high school’s basketball players to keep Jerousek’s dreams and legacy alive.

Jerousek died at the age of 16 in 1987 from a car crash. Under the Alan Jerousek Athletic Memorial Foundation, his parents started to contributing to Crystal Lake Central basketball players to fund sports camps, training and college, according to a news release from the family.

That tradition has been kept alive for nearly 40 years, completely funded by family and friends.

“Al loved sports, and it was a real focus for him,” his father, Donald Jerousek, said in the release. “We wanted to help other students like him.”

The annual scholarship started at $1,500, and recently the family has been able to increase it to $2,000, sisters Donna Fulks and Carolyn Synan said. They allow head coaches to choose the recipient based on who most embodies Jerousek’s spirit.

“We completely leave it up to the coach to decide who gets it based on those qualities of our brother of being kind, being a great student and being a dedicated athlete,” Synan said.

Jerousek was an “accomplished student who excelled in math and science,” and also played on the District 155 school’s baseball team, the family said in the release.

His sudden and tragic death rocked the community. Fulks, the eldest, was in college when their brother died, while Synan was a freshman in high school. They vividly remember the day of his funeral, with what seemed like a never-ending line of cars at the cemetery.

“The high school was devastated,” Fulks said. “It felt like every single student was there.”

Friday, the family will attend a Crystal Lake Central home basketball game. During their warmup, the team will honor Jerousek by wearing replica jerseys inspired by the one he wore during the 1986 season.

“It will be emotional for us, but we are honored by the gesture,” Fulks said in the release. “We are traveling from all over the country to be at that game. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The idea was started by head coach Brian Seaver, and Fulks and Synan created the retro jerseys for the whole team.

“We showed him this great photo of Al taking a shot during a game, and he thought the jersey was so cool,” Synan said in the release. “He thought the whole team would like them.”

The first-ever scholarship went to Jerousek’s teammate and best friend. They wanted to be doctors, and his friend did end up becoming one. He is trying to make it to Friday’s game, too, Fulks said.

“We are excited to have the privilege of honoring Alan’s legacy here at Crystal Lake Central,” Seaver said in a statement to the Northwest Herald. “Alan loved the game and was extremely coachable, which is exactly the type of athlete we are looking for in our program. The Jerousek family’s generosity has had a profound impact on many Crystal Lake Central athletes and will continue to do so in the future.”

Jerousek’s father recently transferred control of the foundation to his daughters, who plan to convert it to a 501(c)(3) charity.

“I think it’s wonderful that my parents have been so generous and have kept Alan’s memory alive in the process,” Fulks said in the release. “I want to make sure we can continue to do so.”

Fulks and Synan hope to grow the foundation by opening it up for anyone to donate. With extra dollars, they hope to spread funds to the girls basketball team and help buy equipment for the athletic department.

“To know that his name was continually there at the school would just make us so happy,” Fulks said.

Updates on the foundation’s nonprofit status will be shared on the alansfund.org website. The sisters plan to keep it going on for generations.

“We have no plans of stopping it,” Synan said.