A marathon runner from New Jersey plans to run across the United States in an effort to raise money for a group that takes care of families in need.

Dr. Larry Grogin is an acupuncturist, chiropractor, veteran marathon runner and philanthropist. He is also a survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

“I was at the finish line,” the 64-year-old says. “It was pretty wild. It was a pretty crazy moment.”

Grogin says the ordeal inspired him to run to benefit others. He says the following year, he ran from his Franklin Lakes home to the Boston Marathon and raised $25,000 for Paul Newman’s camp for children with cancer.

Now Grogin will run to benefit the Paterson organization Oasis, which provides a safe haven for women and children in need.

“He saw our work here and he conceived the idea to run across the United States of America and his goals is to raise $1 million,” says Oasis executive director Jennifer Brady.

Grogin will start his journey in Paterson and finish the over 2,800-mile trek in Ventura, California.

“Just tremendous energy and spirit and heart and it’s contagious,” Brady says.

“Oasis’s story is such an amazing one,” Grogin says. “It’s about giving people a chance.”

Grogin is calling the run “Strides for Humanity.” He is inviting people of all ages to run and to celebrate the human spirit.

“Stories of what America is about; of hope and opportunity,” he says.

Grogin will start the run on July 19, 2019.