RENO — To celebrate its centennial in 2010, the Boy Scouts of America is in the midst of a nationwide tour called “A Century of Values,” which will take 14 teams of Boy Scout volunteers on a journey of 45,000 miles. The tour started Feb. 8 in Laingsburg, Mich. and will visit more than 300 scout districts in the contiguous United States. The trip ends in Irving, Tex. on Feb. 8, 2010, the organization’s 100th anniversary.

On Wednesday, a decorated motorhome showing murals of Boy Scout handbooks throughout the years and a map of the cities to be visited during the tour was on display at the south entrance of the Reno Aces Ballpark.

“When you’re 100 years old, it’s something to celebrate the values, character building, the programs you’ve brought to the world and all of the millions and millions of people that you continue to touch,” said Marty Baldwin, scout executive and CEO of the BSA’s Nevada Area Council #329. “I can’t think of a better way than to start with 100 years and to keep going forward.”

Baldwin, a former scout, said the program helps boys develop principles by which they live for the rest of their lives.

“I didn’t go very high in rank, but the moral character and values stick with you for life,” he said. “Boys find themselves in situations throughout their lives when they turn into men, when they’re challenged to do the right thing when nobody’s looking and that’s what scouts do,” Baldwin said. “They’re the ones that bring moral character and fiber to the decisions that affect our country.”

Volunteers participating in “A Century of Values” are traveling in teams on anywhere from two- to five-week legs. The team that stopped in Reno Wednesday began its journey on Sunday and will travel on Interstate 80 through Grass Valley, Sacramento, San Francisco, Monterey and ending in San Jose by Nov. 13.

Harry Price, one of the group’s two team leaders, presented to Baldwin a framed commemorative painting that shows the faces of many of the major contributors to the Boy Scouts program, including Walt Disney, former presidents Gerald Ford and John F. Kennedy and artist Norman Rockwell.

Baldwin noted that Gov. Jim Gibbons is an Eagle Scout and Sen. Bill Raggio is a distinguished Eagle Scout.

“There’s a reason (astronaut) Neil Armstrong named the spacecraft that landed on the moon the Eagle and that’s because he was an Eagle Scout,” Baldwin said.

Mary Price, Harry’s wife and the other team leader, said they’re traveling with friends they’ve known for 20 years. The Prices flew in from Farmington Hills, Mich. to Salt Lake City to help with the celebration.

“For us it’s been a lot of fun,” Mary said. “It’s been great to spend time with friends. … My husband and I have both been active with Boy Scouts for 25 years and when we were approached to be team chiefs, my husband said ‘yes’ right away. It’s been an adventure and wonderful meeting all the other scouters in the Utah and Nevada areas.”

Locally, about 10,000 youth are registered in the Boy Scout’s various programs. Last year, 161 young men achieved Eagle Scout status, which requires extensive community service hours and projects. Of the nearly 90 million people, past and present, who have been Boy Scouts only 2 percent attain the rank of Eagle Scout.

“I’d like to think that if we had more Boy Scouts involved in politics or big business around the country or Wall Street or Main Street, a lot of the situations America finds herself in now would be different because they made the right decisions, so we’re trying to build a future for our country,” Baldwin said.