Craig Melvin Says His Late Brother Inspired His Charitable Side (Exclusive) [Video]

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.”

Melvin …