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

Craig Melvin is preparing for the return of a big event that connects him deeply.

Between September 15 and 16, Today Anchor, 45, will be in Fairfield, Connecticut, to present the third annual Bottoms Up Invitational with his wife, Lindsay Czarniak. The event to benefit the Colon Cancer Association and honor his late brother Lawrence Meadows “will be bigger and better than ever” in his triumphant return, Melvin told PEOPLE exclusively.

“I continue to be amazed by 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 in honor of my brother, I said, ‘Yeah, maybe a few people will show up. Maybe we’ll raise $50,000, a hundred thousand. That first year, when we raised $1.1 million, it blew myself, and the second year we collected 1.2 million dollars.”

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Melvin notes that “it’s not just about raising money for advocacy and research, it’s about honoring those who lost the battle.”

“We’re honoring caregivers – that’s something new we’ve started. And we’re honoring survivors,” he continues. “It’s turned into a little community of people who show up every year to celebrate colon cancer, play golf and listen to some music. And I’m proud of that.”

Craig Melvin (right) with his late brother Lawrence Meadows (left) at a cancer event.

Craig Melvin/X

But organizing a big event is, of course, no easy feat. “Every year after that, I tell Bailey, who helps me put this thing on, I say, ‘That’s it, we’re done. We’re never doing this again.’ Because it’s hard work, and asking people to share their money is hard,” he admits.

“To ask people, companies and individuals to write checks and show up and they do. More and more people do that every year and I’m amazed by that. I’m humbled by that,” he adds. “Every year, my sister-in-law, we shed a few tears for 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’d be laughing at us all.”

The idea to create a charity event to honor his brother Lawrence’s legacy came from Melvin’s famous friend, country music sensation Darius Rucker.

Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones, Dylan Dreyer, Al Roker and Lindsay Czarniak at the Colorectal Cancer Alliance Bottoms Up Invitational Concert, Shorehaven Golf Club, Norwalk, Connecticut, USA on September 24, 2023.

Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock

“My friend, Darius Rucker, is doing a charity event down in South Carolina,” he explains. “And shortly after my brother died, Darius said, ‘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 said, ‘Really, a golf tournament?’ He said, ‘Trust me, people like to play golf and go to concerts.’ And so we basically stole his model and brought it to Connecticut, but we wanted to do something that would make an impact.

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

Craig Melvin on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

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Melvin’s brother Lawrence passed away in 2020 after a years-long battle with stage four colon cancer. He was then 43 years old. 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 the age of 43, I’m 45. I’ve already outlived my older brother,” he says. “I think as God’s blessings become more abundant in your life, you realize as you get older that you have an obligation to share those blessings.”

“I probably have more years behind me than I have in me. I want the family legacy, part of it to be generosity. It’s important for our children to see us doing good and being generous, not just racing to make it more money we can, we just collect all our money and keep it for ourselves and pass it on to them,” he concludes. “That’s not what this life is supposed to be about. And so, we’re trying to pass that on.”

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The 2024 Bottoms Up Invitational takes place in Fairfield, Connecticut between September 15th and 16th. To learn more about the event and how to support it, check out the official event website.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education