After former New Lenox high school athlete Tyler Koscinski lost his life in a crash in September, his family created a scholarship foundation to honor his legacy.

The Tyler Koscinski Memorial Foundation was founded after the 20-year-old’s death Sept. 15 in a collision on Interstate 80 near Tinley Park. Koscinski, a standout baseball player at Lincoln-Way West High School, was in the car with his close friend Mason Santiago, 19, when the vehicle, driven by Santiago, crashed into the back of a semi, claiming both of their lives, according to Illinois State Police.

State police said no citations were issued.

Tyler’s mother, Kelly Koscinski, said the foundation provides scholarships for Lincoln-Way West seniors to help cover costs for athletic equipment and other expenses associated with playing sports at the college level.

“I had to buy Tyler’s uniform and I had to give him money because he got a scholarship to play baseball, but there were those extra costs that you don’t think about, and that’s kind of why we wanted to do this,” she said. “It’s not like we’re going to pay college tuition. It’s like, here’s the money to offset costs that people don’t realize, because we went through it.”

The scholarship application, which includes a 500-word essay about why the student deserves the award and outlines their academic and athletic goals, opened this past week and is due by April 1, Koscinski said. Interested students can find the application on the foundation’s website.

Recipients will be announced at a community scholarship night at the high school on May 6, she said.

“They have to exhibit the dedication and love of the sport that Tyler embodied,” she said.

Koscinski said the decision to create the foundation was spurred by the need to find a way to use the more than $42,000 raised in a GoFundMe campaign created to offset funeral costs after Tyler’s death.

“The GoFundMe increased very quickly and we couldn’t think of anything else to do with that support, that outreach, other than to pay it forward and give back,” she said. “We couldn’t think of a better way to honor him.”

Close family friend Julie Kagy, who works in the nonprofit sector as the executive director for the Exhibition Services and Contractors Association, played a key role in turning the their idea into reality, Koscinski said.

“There’s a lot of steps and hurdles that come into creating a nonprofit and then knowing how to set up the scholarship fund, how to handle the events and make all that happen. And it just really is what I do for my day job,” Kagy said. “So I was really thrilled to be able to do anything to help rather than just be there.”

Last week, Kagy said the foundation officially received 501c3 status, which designates an organization as tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code.

Both Koscinski and Santiago were standout high school athletes — Koscinski in football and baseball at Lincoln-Way West, and Santiago in football at Providence Catholic High School. They both continued their athletic careers in college, with Koscinski playing as an infielder at Aurora University and Santiago playing as a linebacker at Saint Xavier University.

Connected through their love of sports and longtime friendship, Santiago’s mother, Shannon, previously told the Southtown the pair were “almost attached at the hip.”

At the time of the crash, Kelly Koscinski said Tyler was in a transitional phase, taking a gap year to explore his future and figure out his next steps in life.

“We wanted to keep his legacy alive and to honor him. He was a sports enthusiast, a college baseball player,” she said. “And we wanted to support young athletes that are going into the college level, like both my boys, Connor and Tyler, were supported.”

Kelly Koscinski said the family is focused on ensuring the foundation’s long-term sustainability.

This year, they will award up to $10,000 in scholarships, with the possibility of increasing the amount in future years, depending on available funds. She emphasized that all donations to the foundation will go directly toward scholarships, not operating costs.

The foundation, launched in September, held its inaugural fundraiser on Oct. 26 at the White Horse Inn in New Lenox, a place where Tyler worked for much of his teenage years, Koscinski said.

Nearly 250 people attended, which brought together family, friends and supporters from around the community demonstrating Tyler’s widespread impact on all those he encountered, she said.

A suggested $20 entry donation was asked of attendees, and by the end of the night, Kagy said the event raised close to $24,000 for scholarships for student athletes.

In honor of Tyler’s time as a barback at the White Horse Inn, Koscinski said the family presented the owners with a sign featuring “TK9” to hang behind the bar in his memory.

Family and friends wore sweatshirts created for the foundation featuring a phrase Tyler spoke just before his passing: “It was a good run.”

Koscinski said this sentiment reflected Tyler’s uncertainty about his future as he was taking time to figure out his next steps in life. Despite that uncertainty, Tyler told his mom, “It was a good run, and I’m OK going out like that.”

For the Koscinski family, the saying captures their belief that it’s not about how long you live, but how you live your life.

Next year, Koscinski said they may sponsor a baseball tournament in New Lenox.

“We just want this foundation to make a difference, and there was no question in our heads that that was what we needed to do, turn something tragic into something positive and beautiful, and honor him,” she said.

smoilanen@chicagotribune.com