On June 5th, 2010, a Calgarian will be receiving one of the International Court System’s most prestigious honours: A Jose Award.

Some may know him as Pastor Ron of the Rainbow Community Church of Calgary, others as Empress 20 of Calgary, Rhonda del ray Rockafella.  However, if you know Ron/Rhonda, you undoubtedly understand why she would win such a prestigious award.

Ron Cardy was born in Belfast, Ireland, and grew up with a strong faith and a close family. He graduated from post-secondary with Degrees in both Hospitality and Theology, eventually leaving Ireland for Missionary work in Belize.

After his mission Ron did, as many are expected to do, and married.  He welcomed two children along the way, before moving to Calgary for work.

Thanks to a generous fellow with a good eye, Ron came to be at a Christmas Eve dinner many years ago. This gentleman, under the assumption that Ron was gay, sent him flowers and a note. This gesture immediately brought Ron’s true feelings to the surface.  Sooner afterward, he came out and inevitably divorced his wife, leaving him on his own; his family no longer supported him.

Where one family left him, another embraced him. The Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch (ISCCA, Calgary) welcomed Mz. Rhonda and allowed her to be herself, particularly in the local drag scene. He eventually met his life partner Wayne Eberly and was among the first same-sex couples to be legally married in Alberta.

While completing her reign as Empress 20, she began to appreciate the need for charity. She founded the Crowns for Kids Foundation, and has been fundraising for this cause over the last 15 years with the help of Calgary LGBT businesses.

She has won numerous awards for her work with local charities. She has offered support to other Courts, and is Spiritual Advisor to Empress Nicole the Great, the Queen Mother of the Americas.  She is a two-time recipient of the ULTIMA title for her remarkable contribution to Court life, and is in the process of creating an AIDS Memorial in Calgary.

It comes as no surprise than that Mz. Rhonda is one of the only two Canadians receiving this bi-annual award. Says Rhonda “I am still in shock, this is a huge honour. It will not hit me until I am there for the awards dinner. I am deeply moved by it.”

The 45th Anniversary of the International Court System will be held in Lexington, Kentucky on June 5th with an Imperial Gala. This organization has over 67 Chapters in Canada, the United States, and Mexico – including Calgary’s ISCCA and Edmonton’s Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose (ISCWR). There will be a keynote speech with Stuart Milk, the nephew of Harvey Milk, and of course the presentation of the Jose Awards.

When asked about how she came to be honoured, she responded, “A dear friend of mine named Vikki believes in me and all that I do here, and out in the International Court System. I am the founder of the Crowns For Kids toy drive now into its 15th year. I am the founder of the Pastor of Rainbow Community Church, Calgary’s only gay [operated] church. I do what I can for what the Court stands for, the good that we do.”

After receiving this award, Mz. Rhonda has no plans of slowing down. “I will keep doing what I can to make this world a better place. …I do it because I love the court, it gave me my life.”