The J’s Family Engagement department created a new competition surrounding this year’s March Madness basketball tournaments: March Mitzvahs.

For a minimal fee, participants are encouraged to fill out brackets for this year’s NCAA Men’s and Women’s Division I Basketball Tournaments, with a chance to win a three-month membership at The J and other prizes. 

The mitzvah is that a portion of the submission fees will go to support local charitable partners – Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and the Jewish Family Services Food Pantry. 

A kickoff event will be held at The J’s gym on Wednesday, March 15, at 5 p.m. Participants can either fill out a bracket online after they register at thejkc.org/marchmitzvahs, or brackets can be filled out at the kickoff event. 

“We know how much people love college basketball in Kansas City, and we wanted to create something fun surrounding the excitement this year,” said Kaitlin Birnbaum, director of family engagement at The J. “We couldn’t think of a better way to support your favorite teams – and root for your bracket busters – than by adding a kindness component through March Mitzvahs.”

With the registration fee, participants can opt to fill out a bracket for the men’s or women’s tournament, or both to double chances of winning. Brackets must be completed and submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15. More information is available at thejkc.org/marchmitzvahs