Seth Rogen Wants to Make You Laugh - for a Great Cause

Seth Rogan and Lauren Miller

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By Gabrielle Olya and Jennifer Garcia

10/06/2014 AT 06:45 PM EDT

When Seth Rogen's wife Lauren Miller's mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, the comedian knew he wanted to do something to help, but he didn't know how to go about it.

"We quickly realized there was nothing to help the situation, so out of a sense of desperation and wanting to feel like we were doing something for the cause, we, along with some friends, started Hilarity For Charity in the form of a comedy variety show," Rogen, 32, tells PEOPLE. "We started the charity because there was really nothing else we could do."

This year's variety show will take place Oct. 17 in Los Angeles and aims to raise funds and bring more awareness to Alzheimer's.

"Comedy is 'the something' we're actually capable of doing," he says. "Because it's such a bummer, we thought it might be nice to, in some way, make it fun for people."

Rogen says the project has "grown a lot and become something much bigger," and he is hopeful about what the charity can achieve.

"It would be nice ultimately to discover a cure," the actor says. "I hope we're able to capture the attention of more young people, and get the disease the type of funding it deserves."

For more of our interview with Rogen, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now