Craig Melvin Says His Late Brother Inspired His Charitable Side Ahead of Return of Annual Event in His Honor (Exclusive)

Returning from Sept. 15-16, The Bottoms Up Invitational — which benefits the Colorectal Cancer Alliance — was created in honor of Melvin's late brother

Craig Melvin is gearing up for the return of a major event that holds a deep personal connection for him.

Between September 15-16, the Today anchor, 45, will be in Fairfield, Connecticut to present the third annual Bottoms Up Invitational alongside his wife, Lindsay Czarniak. The event benefitting the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and honoring his late brother Lawrence Meadows is "going to be bigger and better than ever" in its triumphant return, Melvin exclusively tells PEOPLE.

"I continue to be amazed at the generosity of friends, family, and complete strangers," he says of those supporting the two-day gathering. "When we started this thing a few years ago to honor my brother, I was like, 'Yeah, maybe a few folks will show up. Maybe we'll raise 50,000, a hundred thousand dollars. That first year, when we raised $1.1 million, I was blown away. And then the second year, we raised $1.2 million. I was blown away."

Related: Craig Melvin Wants to 'Save Lives' After Late Brother Lawrence 'Ignored' Signs of Colon Cancer (Exclusive)

Melvin notes that "it's not just about raising money for advocacy and research, it's also about honoring those who've lost the fight."

"We honor the caregivers — that's something new that we started. And, we honor the survivors," he continues. "It's turned into this little community of folks who show up every year to celebrate colorectal cancer, and play some golf, and listen to some songs. And I'm proud of that."

But putting on the big event, naturally, is no easy feat. "Every year afterward, I tell Bailey, who helps me put this thing on, I'm like, 'That's it, we're done. We're never doing it again.' Because hard it's a lot of work, and it's asking people to part with their money. That's tricky," he admits.

"Asking people, companies and individuals to write checks and show up and they do it. More people do it every year, and I'm amazed by it. I'm humbled by it," he adds. "Every year, my sister-in-law, we shed a few tears over my brother. We also laugh because there is nothing about the event that he would ever be a part of. It's not the music he enjoyed. He hated golf. He didn't play golf, he didn't drink. So it's like a big party and golf, and I'm sure he would be in the corner laughing at all of us. So we enjoy that every year as well."

The idea to create a charitable event honoring his brother Lawrence's legacy came from Melvin's famous pal, country music sensation Darius Rucker.

"My friend, Darius Rucker, he does a charity event down in South Carolina," he explains. "And shortly after my brother died, Darius was like, 'You know what? You should do something like this,' like his event. 'You should do something like this to honor your brother, and raise money, and awareness.' I was like, 'Really, a golf tournament?' He's like, 'Trust me, people love to play golf and go to a concert.' And so, we basically stole his model and just brought it to Connecticut. We wanted to do something, but we wanted to do something that would be impactful. And we've discovered that it's impactful. It really is."

Some of this year's sponsors include Comcast, NBC News, Exact Sciences and Wells Fargo. "And then, we get people who have been impacted by the disease, who want to do something to honor the memory of a loved one, or to honor the memory of someone who's been connected to the fight in some way," he notes.

Related: Craig Melvin Says Al Roker Has Supported Him in His 'Darkest Moments,' Saying He Was the 'First' to Call (Exclusive)

Melvin's brother Lawrence died in 2020 after a years-long battle with stage 4 colon cancer. He was 43 at the time. When asked if launching the Bottoms Up Invitational in Lawrence's honor has further inspired his philanthropic side, the broadcaster says: "No question."

"He died at 43, I'm 45. I've already outlived my older brother," he says. "I think that as God's blessings become more abundant in your life, you realize as you get older, you're obligated to share those blessings."

"I probably have more years behind me than I had in me. I want my family's legacy, part of it to be that of generosity. It's important for our children to see us doing good and being generous, and not just racing to make as much money as we can, just hoard all of our money and keep it to ourselves and pass it on to them," he concludes. "That's not what this life should be about. And so, we're trying to pass that on."

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The 2024 Bottoms Up Invitational is taking place in Fairfield, Connecticut between Sept. 15-16. To learn more about the event and how to support it, check out the event's official website.

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