For the moment, the Ronald McDonald House in Portland was still in the early fall morning.

A small sign in the entryway indicated that the two families who had not yet left for nearby Maine Medical Center were still asleep. Photos of healthy, smiling babies lined the walls. Near the door was a guest book containing hundreds of thankful prayers, well wishes and statements of gratitude for the staff and volunteers of the house

The Ronald McDonald House provides a home for parents and families of critically ill children who come to Portland for treatment. And it is where Scarborough resident Polly Larned has volunteered continuously since 1995, when it was still just an idea.

For her ceaseless work helping to found and then run the Ronald McDonald House, and for her efforts with Konbit Sante, a medical partnership with a hospital in Haiti, Larned will receive a “6 Who Care Award” from WCSH Channel 6.

Larned, a retired pediatric nurse, and six other recognized volunteers will receive their awards Oct. 18 at the Marriott Hotel in South Portland. Hosted by News Center 6 anchors Cindy Williams and Pat Callaghan, the awards show will be televised on Channel 6 on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m.

“In 10 or 15 years some people would have moved on or lost interest, but not Polly,” said Lisa Holbrook, the Ronald McDonald House manager. “Polly has been with us since the very beginning. She’s worked on every level from being on the board to making beds.”

Like the volunteers she interviews and helps organize, Larned has a weekly, three-hour shift of making beds, vacuuming, stocking supplies and doing anything necessary at an ordinary hotel.

The house, said Larned, keeps parents from sleeping on floors or cots to be near their children in treatment at Maine Medical Center. Without worrying about where food and a place to stay will come from, parents can put all of their energy into caring for their kids. And if they can’t pay, said Larned, there is never a discussion.

There are three paid staff members at the house, but everything else is done by volunteers like Larned.

“The thing I’ve really enjoyed doing from the very beginning is to interview perspective volunteers,” said Larned. “It’s important that the people who want to volunteer at the house understand the needs that the families have.”

Though Larned said the house is an upbeat place to work with all the volunteer activity and families, tragedies happen, and volunteers need to be able to listen to grieving family members.

“Part of the job description is that extra-special caring,” said Larned.

“Polly is such an excellent judge of character,” said Holbrook. Also, she added, Larned’s background as a pediatric nurse allows her to understand the complicated medical world the families are living every day. “It gives her the ability to really listen to the parents and understand. She knows the lingo.”

Larned worked as a pediatric nurse at Maine Medical Center for 12 years, and then worked as a home health-care nurse. With her career in children’s health care, five children of her own and 13 grandchildren, Larned can offer families at the house a range of knowledge and support.

“We aren’t social workers,” said Larned. “We’re there to be supportive and to listen if a family member wants to talk.”

When Holbrook talked about Larned’s dedication to the house, one recent moment stood out to her.

“Everyone wants to help plan events, but no one wants to stay and help with the cleanup,” said Holbrook. After a fundraiser, Holbrook watched as Larned came out to her car lugging heavy cases of leftover soda. Things like this, said Holbrook, help make Larned stand out.

“She works behind the scenes with no desire for recognition. She just goes the extra mile, she is so inspiring to me,” said Holbrook.

Volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House is important to Larned, but as Holbrook described, she has a local and global focus.

Larned also works with Konbit Sante, a medical partnership with the Justinian Hospital in Haiti. Recently, along with her husband Steve, Larned collected medical supplies, organized them into palettes, packed them into a 40-foot container and will soon ship it all to Haiti. Once the supplies arrive, Larned intends to travel to Haiti to help distribute the supplies and continue to help work on Haiti’s medical infrastructure.

When hospitals here update their equipment, Larned collects it and sends it to Haiti. Everything from stretchers to X-ray machines will make it into the shipments.

“What we think of as throwaways, people use them in Haiti. They’re very resourceful as people who don’t have resources have to be,” said Larned.

For example, said Larned, she remembers when the lights went out in the hospital, surgeons used truck headlights to keep operating. A lack of reliable electricity and potable drinking water are just some of the problems Larned helps to solve when she goes to Haiti. The Haitian hospital’s partnership with Portland allows Larned and Konbit Sante to bring specialists to Haiti, as well as bringing Haitian doctors here to learn.

“It’s a real exchange of knowledge,” said Larned. “It’s changes your whole perspective on your life as it is in this country.”

“She is so smart,” said Holbrook. “She’s not just going over there donating supplies. She’s looking at the infrastructure. It’s not a Band-Aid way of helping.”

Though Haiti has numerous problems that may seem overwhelming to many, Larned does not get discouraged.

“People ask, can you really make a difference? The answer is yes,” said Larned. “It’s small steps, but the little successes are what keep us going.”

Ronald McDonald House volunteer and Scarborough resident Polly Larned will receive a “6 Who Care” award from Channel 6 on Oct. 18 for her years as a volunteer in Portland and in Haiti. The Ronald McDonald House Manager, Lisa Holbrook, said Larned never looks for recognition but gives it to others. Here, she pointed out artwork donated by local children that decorates a wall in the house.