Need A Thoughtful, Yet Easy Gift This Holiday Season? MEFA’s Savings Gift Cards Now Available to Buy Online

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 20, 2025--

The MEFA co-branded Gift of College ® gift card is now available for purchase online at MEFA.org/giftcard, making it even easier than ever to help a loved one save for the future or pay down education debt. This thoughtful gift can be delivered instantly to the recipient’s inbox and redeemed toward a U.Fund 529 or U.Plan Prepaid Tuition account or used to pay down a student loan.

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Also new for this holiday season, the MEFA Gift of College Card is more widely available at popular retailers across the Commonwealth, including CVS, Cumberland Farms, and Stop and Shop. Launched last year, the MEFA Gift of College Card enables the recipient to quickly and easily transfer the card’s cash value toward a MEFA college savings account or student loan balance.

Similarly, the MEFA Gift of Independence Card is also available online, a quick and easy way to contribute savings toward an ABLE account for the health and personal expenses of individuals with disabilities without affecting their federal benefits. Attainable ® is the official ABLE program of Massachusetts.

“There is no greater gift than helping a loved one save the financial resources they may need for their future success. At MEFA, our mission is to help all families by making it as easy as possible to save for future expenses or pay down college loans,” said Thomas Graf, Executive Director of MEFA, the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority.

The gift cards, available in amounts between $25 and $200, can be redeemed not only into a college savings or 529A ABLE account, but also toward payments on a student loan balance. It’s the perfect gift for birthdays, holidays, graduations, and other special occasions.

Says Patricia Roberts, Gift of College’s Chief Operating Officer and mom of a recent college graduate, “I’m excited to be an individual who gives the gift of college….for every baby shower, every birthday party, every December holiday. It’s my go-to choice because it’s easy to give and I feel it's among the most useful gifts that a family can receive.”

And Patricia isn’t the only one giving the gift of savings. Since they’ve been launched, over 720 MEFA-branded Gift of College cards have been sold, with over $174,862 gifted to recipients since June of 2024. In addition, over 3,844 non-branded gift cards have been redeemed into U.Fund accounts since June of 2024.

Transferring the funds from the card to a college savings account, student loan account, or ABLE account is done online at giftofcollege.com. MEFA has partnered with Gift of College and participating retailers to make the gift cards available.

About MEFA

MEFA is a state authority, not reliant on state or federal appropriations, established under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 15C. MEFA’s mission, since its founding in 1982, has been to help Massachusetts students and families access and afford higher education and reach financial goals through education programs, tax-advantaged savings plans, affordable loans, and expert guidance. All of MEFA’s work aligns with the ever-present goal to support the independence, growth, and success of Massachusetts students and families. Visit mefa.org to learn more.

Need A Thoughtful, Yet Easy Gift This Holiday Season? MEFA’s Savings Gift Cards Now Available to Buy Online

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The last ghoulish gargoyle has been returned to its perch as part of a two-year restoration of a Kentucky cathedral with a facade modeled after Notre Dame in Paris.

The rehab project at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption was sorely needed to repair deteriorated stone, metal and glass that adorns the limestone exterior. The project included 32 recreated gargoyles along with repairs of deteriorated finials, arches and balustrades.

The 125-year-old church, in Covington just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, offers the experience of a European gothic cathedral in the Midwest, said the Very Rev. Ryan Maher, the cathedral’s rector. The cathedral has an “intimate connection to what is really the most popular and most well-known cathedral outside of Rome itself,” he said.

“I think it's very special and very unique,” said Maher, who watched from the sidewalk as the last gargoyle, made of terra cotta, was raised to top of the facade on Monday.

The renovation price tag was nearly $8 million, and most came from donations, Maher said.

Brian Walter, CEO of Trisco Systems, the contractor, said the final gargoyle going in was “a symbol of the accomplishment of all our facade work.”

“That’s a big, monumental occasion for not only people here, but for us. That kind of symbolized the last stone we’re putting in,” Walter said.

Restoration plans grew out of Maher's discovery in 2018 of a large piece of stone that fell from the exterior.

“We realized at that time that we needed to investigate not only the source of that one piece of stone that had fallen, but to take a look at the overall facade of the cathedral,” Maher said.

Workers will continue with smaller tasks around the facade, including the installation of chimeras that sit on the roofline, but the heavy lifting has been completed, Walter said.

“This is kind of a once or twice in a lifetime project,” Walter said.

The story has been updated to correct that the gargoyles are made of terra cotta, not stone.

Workers are seen beyond an orange cherry picker high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," as the final new terra cotta gargoyle is secured with straps to the left, in Covington, Ky., on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The final new terra cotta gargoyle is installed by Cole Burklund, top, and Blake Priest using a cherry picker high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," in Covington, Ky., on Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The final new terra cotta gargoyle is secured at right after being installed high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," in Covington, Ky., on Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The final new terra cotta gargoyle is installed by Cole Burklund, in the bright yellow, and Blake Priest using a cherry picker high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," in Covington, Ky., on Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The final new terra cotta gargoyle is prepared for installation high on the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, known as "America's Notre Dame," in Covington, Ky., on Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)