“We grew up in Capeside and that’s a bond that will last a lifetime,” Michelle told Us Weekly in a statement announcing the charity event. “We wanted to gather around our dear friend James and remind him that we are all here. We always have been and we always will be. And I know the fans of Dawson’s Creek feel the same way.”

And while James was too ill to attend the September fundraiser—though he sent a message to attendees—his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek noted that his presence was felt.

“This night was so special to the whole family,” she said in a video on her Instagram Stories following the event. “And more importantly, feeling my husband fill the entire theater, and the love for him.”

“We’ll be unwinding this one for a while,” Kimberly—mom to kids Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 12, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 7, and Jeremiah, 4, with James—continued, “but thank you for the love and support and for the prayers.”