For 17 years, Treasurer Ron Williams has hosted an annual golf tournament to benefit the city’s United Way campaign and other area organizations.

This year’s tournament raised $22,000 with 130 people playing. A good chunk of the money was given directly to worthy organizations, including the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in honor of Donna Wharam, who worked for the Suffolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office for many years; an account set up for Officer James Winslow, who was severely injured in the line of duty in May; the Boys and Girls Club; the Salvation Army; the Sickle Cell Association; the Suffolk Education Foundation; the Western Tidewater Free Clinic; The Genieve Shelter; Meals on Wheels; and King’s Kids.

It’s hard to imagine a list of organizations that are making more of a difference in the city. The list of beneficiaries manages to cover every pertinent area — education, law enforcement, medical organizations, elder care, domestic abuse organizations, children and low-income people all will be helped through the money raised.

Especially honored was Wharam’s family, including her husband, 20-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. Wharam died of cancer earlier this year.

“We’re going to honor Donna’s memory and all the good things she did,” Williams said during the event, “and at the same time use her life as an example to help others to try to continue to fight cancer.”

“It’s an honor,” Tim Wharam said. “It shows how much she was thought of, and it’s kind of a way of us giving back to other people that might have to go through the same thing.”

The tournament clearly helped many good organizations in Suffolk. Williams and the sponsors of the tournament deserve credit for organizing it on behalf of those organizations.