Special Olympic Athlete Co-creates and Is Slated to Co-star in the Feature Film, Sand Trap

Online, June 23, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Sand Trap is the story of a troubled pro golfer, Kenny Monahue, who gets suspended from the tour for fighting. Unable to find a job to support himself while awaiting his suspension hearing, his brother (who works for the PGA), helps Kenny land a job at a local country club working on the grounds crew where he is partnered with Eric Beemer, a man with special needs. With Eric's help, Kenny relearns the game of golf and the game of life from the ground up.

Jacob Price and John J Vogel met in 2008 while they were both participating in a corporate fundraiser called Celebrity Winterfest, Jacob on the athlete side and John on the celebrity side, in Lake Tahoe benefiting Special Olympics of Northern California and Nevada. After becoming acquainted at the event, Vogel began mentoring Price (although Vogel's wife does question just who is mentoring who) through weekly phone conversations and yearly visits to Los Angeles. One day, after they'd played nine holes on the golf course, the outline for Sand Trap was created, followed by the completion of the screenplay. Set in the world of golf, Sand Trap is a dramedy that focuses on the talents and abilities of those with special needs instead of their disabilities.

John said, "When I got involved with Special Olympics over a decade ago, I never thought how my life would be changed. After interviewing the families, Athletes, and people working inside Special Olympics, I saw what those with special abilities could do and it blew my mind."

Jacob Price said, "Sand Trap is special because it focuses on the ability of people like myself. Because we have special needs it also means we are gifted in other ways, and we're also just as capable as anyone else. This movie shines a positive light on what people with special needs can actually do."

The decision to begin the fundraising through crowd funding like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo was an easy one to make. Vogel says, "This is the first or one of the only films that I know of to be co-created, co-written and slated to co-star a person with special needs. The movie gets very personal in regards to what people with special needs feel about love, marriage and even having children. To have the movie funded by a grassroots movement seems the only way to start."

Jacob Price has been participating as an athlete in Special Olympics where he has won 22 medals. John J Vogel is an award winning actor and director who has volunteered with Special Olympics for over a decade.