I have been a registered Boy Scout leader since 1976. I am often asked why I am still a leader even though my two sons, both of whom are Eagle Scouts, are no longer in the program. I tell people two stories.

The first is about a group of climbers on K2, the world's second-highest peak. On Aug. 1, 2008, a pinnacle of ice collapsed and swept away ropes that climbers from several expeditions relied on to make their descent from the summit. Eleven climbers lost their lives.

A column in the following Aug. 10 edition of The New York Times quoted one of the survivors, Dutch mountaineer Wilco Van Rooijen, as saying, "Everybody was fighting for himself, and I still do not understand why everybody was leaving each other."

The Times account continued by noting that "the traditional expeditionary culture ... which had emphasized mutual responsibility and common endeavor, gave way to an ethos stressing individualism and self-preservation."

As soon as I read the column I was struck by a wholly different response to another disaster only two months earlier.

On June 11, 2008, a tornado in Iowa tore through the Little Sioux Scout Ranch, a Boy Scout camp about 40 miles north of Omaha. The 93 campers and 25 staff members had little warning and took shelter in a building that took a direct hit. Four boys aged 13 and 14 were killed by falling debris and 42 people were injured.

Immediately after the storm passed, the scouts sprang into action, clearing debris, helping injured colleagues by administering first aid and assisting trained rescue teams who rushed to the scene. The boys and their leaders stuck together and put into action a disaster plan for which they had all been trained.

Their teamwork allowed many of the more seriously injured to survive. Local law enforcement and medical officials credited the training and selfless actions of the scouts for saving many lives. Their actions were exactly the opposite of those of the climbers.

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Another incident which I had the good fortune to witness occurred at our local July 4 Festival in the Park, in Mt. Lebanon.

Members of the Conestoga scouting district of Greater Pittsburgh Council set up a climbing wall so children could sample one of the activities we enjoy as scouts. We also had a booth to recruit for our cub packs, scout troops and venturer crews.

In mid-afternoon we were approached by a father holding his toddler daughter, who had fallen and had a nasty bleeding abrasion on her knee. Immediately, two of our scouts brought out the first-aid kit and began cleaning the wound, applying an antiseptic and then a dressing.

When we finished, the father gratefully said, "I thought the Boy Scouts would be able to take care of this."

The fact that he sought out the scouts was all the more meaningful since the local medical rescue squad and the fire department were present, too, not to mention the first-aid available in the nearby recreation center. This speaks volumes about what the public thinks of scouting.

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The principles of scouting have remained intact since it was founded 100 years ago. The anniversary is Monday.

Those principles are embraced in the scout oath or promise: Duty to God and country, duty to others, duty to self -- three core values that have withstood the winds of change and the sands of time.

The 12 points of the Scout Law reflect a moral ethos of responsibility. Scouting teaches self-reliance, conflict resolution, leadership and the importance of accepting responsibility and the consequences for one's actions. Scouting also teaches other life skills, such as first aid, physical fitness, emergency preparedness, swimming and lifesaving, as well as the traditional outdoor camping and nature activities, including conservation of our resources. The Scout Motto has been since the beginning, "Be Prepared."

The boys at Little Sioux were prepared, as were our own scouts. It was a sad commentary on our times when Mr. Van Rooijen said, "Everybody was fighting for himself ..."

So when any people ask why I've continued with scouting after my sons "graduated," the answer is simple: Scouting provides today's young people with positive ways to deal with the problems they encounter in our society. Scouting counters many of the negative influences young people come across in school, on the airwaves, on the Internet and sometimes at home.

Scouting's values have survived for 100 years and they are timeless. As a scout leader I am helping to prepare tomorrow's leaders. By "paying it forward," our goal is to help make our communities, our nation and the world a little better.

Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.