Daisy Higgins sits at a welcome desk at Maine Medical Center’s Scarborough campus on a rainy Friday morning. With a smile and a soft, friendly voice, she greets patients and visitors as they come through the doors of the cancer treatment center.

Suddenly, she’s up out of her chair and escorting a patient through the maze of halls.

“Sometimes you have to help them,” she says, “especially the patients who are here for IV treatments.”

Higgins, 81, is used to the protocol. She’s been following it every Tuesday and Friday mornings for the past 11 years.

The lifelong Scarborough resident is a Maine Medical Center volunteer, and the organization, whose headquarters are in Portland, recently honored her with the Betts Award, given annually to an outstanding volunteer.

The award recognizes a person who exemplifies the dedication, caring and spirit of volunteerism reflecting on those who serve Maine Medical Center and its patients. Maine Med has more than 800 volunteers.

Higgins was one of five volunteers nominated this year for the award. It was conferred on her on June 8.

“I was quite surprised,” said Higgins, displaying the Betts Award pin that she wears on her left lapel. “I never expected anything like this.”

Winning volunteer awards isn’t why Higgins began volunteering at the center as an escort in March 1998.

When she heard of the available positions, she applied, went through a week’s worth of training to learn how to deal with ailing patients, use the wheelchairs and properly greet people. Then she went to work.

For Higgins, who is mother of three, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of five, it’s all about helping.

“I just love to help people,” she said. “It’s something that is rewarding and I also like to be around people.”

While Higgins walks around the center on Friday, those who know her greet her with a smile, ask how she’s doing and stop for a few seconds to chat.

“She’s joyous and fun-loving,” said Glen Roy, head registered nurse for the hemophilia center, who has worked with Higgins since 1999. “She’s deserving of this award and it couldn’t have gone to a better person.”

Roy isn’t the only center employee who conveys excitement when speaking of Higgins, her award and her work.

“Everybody loves her, and she’s like everybody’s grandma,” said Christin Kolmar, an administrator at the center. “She’s a ray of sunshine … she’s just great.”

Higgins grew up in Scarborough and worked 37 years at the Scarborough post office as a clerk. In addition, she also worked for American Greetings.

She is a member of the Scarborough Historical Society and sits on the committee that updates the rules regarding who can receive the Boston Post Cane, which is awarded to the oldest Scarborough resident.

She belongs to the national Association of Traditional Rug Hooking. Higgins’ rugs have appeared in several magazines and she also repairs old rugs.

“I like to stay busy,” Higgins said. “I don’t like to sit at home and do nothing.”

While she enjoys her time at the medical center, she said there are days that are difficult.

“It’s hard sometimes, because you need to remember that we are dealing with people who are very sick,” she said. “They are coming here to get treatments and are at one of the most difficult points of their lives. You need to be empathetic about that and help them as much as you can.”

She said she is thankful that she doesn’t see the children who are sick and seeking treatment, as they enter through a different door of the center.

“I don’t think I could deal with that,” she said.

There is a silver lining to witnessing peoples’ lives at a low point, she said.

“It’s amazing to see some of them when they first get here and they are sick and they walk slowly because they are weak,” she said. “Then 30 days go by, they are on their last day of treatments and they give you a big hello, and they leave in good spirits. That’s just a great feeling to have.”

Higgins who said she wants to put in many more years volunteering for the medical center.

“Time will tell,” she said. “I will continue doing this as long as I am physically able. I enjoy it.”

Scarborough’s Daisy Higgins says she enjoys volunteering because she likes to help people. She has volunteered at Maine Medical Center’s Scarborough campus since 1998 and recently earned the Betts Award, the organization’s highest honor.