Please join Bent Alaska in congratulating the Imperial Court of All Alaska (ICOAA), which has been awarded the prestigious 2012 Jose Honors “Court of Distinction” among the existing International Court Chapters.

The Imperial Court of All Alaska is the oldest and largest not-for-profit GLBTA organization in the state of Alaska. Over the decades, ICOAA has raised over a million dollars for scholarships for Alaska students and for other charitable organizations in the state through fundraising events, benefits, titleholder Balls, and functions. Thank you, ICOAA, for all you do!

The Imperial Court System’s Jose Honors was founded in 1997 by the International Court Systems’ current leader, Empress Nicole the Great, as a tribute to the founder of the ICS, Empress Jose, to ensure that her legacy lives on for a very long time. This is the highest award given to members of the International Courts System for outstanding accomplishments within the Courts System and in the larger community they live in. Each year, the Jose Honors also recognizes an individual member Court for outstanding service.

This year, The Imperial Court of All Alaska, Alaska’s oldest LGBT organization and a major fundraiser and community service organization for the past 40 years, has been awarded the prestigious 2012 Jose Honors “Court of Distinction” among the existing International Court Chapters.

The ICOAA was chosen this year based on our many criteria, but one of our major attributes is our success while being isolated from other Imperial Courts. While we have been in existence over the past 40 years, we also have strong partnerships with other Court Chapters, even given the fact that our closest chapter is over 1400 miles away. This isolation allows us to be an even stronger partner to other in-state organizations, including our strong alignment with the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s); Identity, Inc.; the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Alaska (GLCCA); our university LGBT organizations and youth programs; The Roscoe Fund, an animal partnership program for people in our community; and fundraising opportunities supporting smaller, local organizations throughout our very large state. As Alaska’s oldest GLBTA Organization, the ICOAA helped to fund almost every other GLBTA organization as they were spin-offs of the Court when court members saw an immediate need and started new organizations.

The ICOAA is especially honored to have been acknowledged this year as a stand-out organization, and our members over the past 40 years are truly proud to have these successes acknowledged on this grand scale. While we are receiving the award this year, the contributions of many people in our Alaskan communities are an important reason that we are being recognized.

The ICOAA is a proud member of the International Court body, and is pleased to have been selected as the Court of Distinction for the 2012 Jose Honors. The official award ceremony and presentation will be held on February 24, 2012 at a special dinner in San Francisco, CA. A special thanks to everyone who has touched our organization over the past 40 years!